The Girl Behind The Scenes
by Author1720
Summary: Artemis meets an old friend from his childhood. When he finds out what she's been through, he joins her to set things right. As he helps her through, he discovers the different sides of him and his friends. P.S. - This is my first FanFiction story, so please read and review!
1. The Mysterious Girl

It was another day of boredom for Artemis Fowl. He was back at St Bartleby's to _complete his education. _He sighed. He was the only teenager in the world to understand quantum physics, know more of psychology than the counsellors he had gone through and have possibly, the highest tested IQ in history. Yet, his mother and father had insisted that he go to school, so that he could 'interact with others and make new friends'. He had no choice but to relent.

The teacher interrupted his train of thoughts with an announcement. "Everybody, we have a new student!" He looked up. It was a girl with brown skin, black eyes and black, curly hair. Two years ago, St Bartleby's had started to accept girls, and now there were enough girls to rival the boys' population. "Good morning, everyone," she started. "I am Thalia White. I am from New York. I hope that I have a good time here." Artemis snorted. Hope to have a good time? She was trying to reason with the class, and they were anything but reasonable. "Now, Miss White, you will be sitting with…..Master Fowl." informed the teacher. The young Fowl was instantly alert. Him, sit with this girl? He looked at the new student, his eyes cold and calculating. She kept her bags next to her table, smiled at him, and sat right next to him.

"Good morning, Master Fowl. How are you?" she asked, casually. "Miss White, I am perfectly fine. I would prefer it if I did not have to engage in such casual exchanges. Do not expect me to take you on a tour of the school, or anything like it; I have far more important matters to attend to." said Artemis, in a cold tone. The girl was surprised. She raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, and then shook her head, as though his behavior was not up to standard.

The class teacher left, and the physics teacher came in. He rapped the table for attention. "Today, we shall talk about force. Now, does anyone know what a force is?" he asked. Artemis groaned in his head. Really, this school was falling to pieces. The next thing he knew, they would be reciting the alphabet. Next to him, Thalia rolled her eyes, and then raised her hand.

"Oh, are you new?" asked the teacher. "Yes, ma'am, I am Thalia White," she said. "Now, a force can simply be defined as a push or a pull. It can also be defined as the quantitative description of the interaction between two physical bodies, such as an object and its environment." Artemis was only slightly displaced by this. She knew what forces were. That hardly posed him a problem. His mind was already churning out more detailed descriptions than an average person could even pretend to understand. "I see. Thank you, Miss White, for your detailed description of a force." said the teacher. "Now, can anyone name a few forces?" the teacher asked. Artemis snorted. Would gravity do? Or would he have to explain the electromagnetic force? Gods forbid, would he have to explain a push?

Thalia tapped on his table. He looked at her, his face a mask of calm. "Master Fowl, I was thinking, do we have to explain what a push is? Or should we elaborate on the force of gravity?" she joked. He was slightly thrown aback. She had just voiced his very thoughts. He also noticed that, instead of using the word 'you', she had used the word 'we'. It was almost as though they were friends, and she was speaking for both of them. Nevertheless, he looked at her and snapped, "Well, I hardly think that you know enough about the strong or the weak forces to trivialize the matter."

Her eyes grew wide for a while, and then she smiled. "Oh that? A piece of cake. The strong force can be divided into two itself, the color force, which holds the quarks in a nucleon together, and the nuclear force, which is the residual force from the color force and holds the protons and the neutrons together. The weak force is the reason for why particles decay. Did you underestimate me, Mud Boy?" she replied, with an edge to her voice.

The boy was surprised. Mud Boy? How could she know? No one knew about the People, except him, Butler and Juliet. This was no ordinary girl. She had to be handled carefully, or she could put the People in danger. He looked at her as though he hardly knew what he was saying. "Excuse me? What do you mean?" he asked, faking confusion. She just flashed him another smile and looked back at the teacher. His feigning was useless. She knew that she had hit upon something.

After one and a half hours of class, he sat in his seat while the rest of his classmates poured out into the corridors for recess. Thalia extracted a large blue file from her bag and turned to Artemis. "Could you show me where the library is? I don't know where to go." she requested. Artemis took this as an opportunity to interrogate her. He got up and brushed some imaginary dust from his blazer. "Very well, but I won't be chaperoning you all over the school." he replied curtly. She got up and followed Artemis, all the while, hugging her file. He walked out the door, and headed left.

They went for half a minute with no conversation, when Thalia decided to ask him a question. "Master Fowl, do you like Mozart?" "I prefer Vivaldi and Debussy over Mozart," he replied indifferently. She nodded, as if that made sense.

Artemis stopped at two open doors. He gestured at the room and said, "This is the library." The girl started. She was so busy reading some papers that she almost smashed into him. "Oh, thank you. I'm sorry you went to all that trouble," she said. She walked into the room and sat down at the farthest table. He followed her, and took a seat opposite to hers. "I would like to ask you a question. What did you mean by 'Mud Boy'? I find it rather offending," he said, carefully wording his sentences so as to not let the girl know anything more. "Really? Maybe I should tell her that," she said, slyly. "Her? Who are you talking about?" asked Artemis, puzzled. "Your girlfriend. The one with the hazel eyes and the reddish orange hair." she said. _His girlfriend? _Artemis tensed. She was talking about Holly. How did she come to know?

Artemis narrowed his eyes, and looked at her. "How did you see her?" asked Artemis, sharply. "Are you interrogating me?" she asked, annoyed, "I am not a criminal, you know. Now, let me pick out some books." Artemis was determined not to let her go. On the other hand, she was smart. She would know that he was hiding something. He stood up, ready to leave, when Thalia called out to him, "Please wait, Artemis. I'm almost done issuing the books." He noticed that she called him Artemis this time. Where did she get his name from? _Probably the teacher, _he thought. He rolled his eyes. If he left now, she would probably get lost, and the teacher would blame it on him. Then, the counsellor would use that as ammunition against him. He decided to wait.

Thalia came back to the table, carrying three unusually thick books. Artemis's eyes widened. How could she carry three of those? He could only carry two. He noticed that the way she was holding the books was unstable; if she leaned too much, the books would fall on her. She reached for her file, leaning backwards. Her fingers were at the edge of the file. "Almost got it," she said, and leaned a little more.

He instinctively moved to her. Not a moment too soon. She lost her balance, and fell right towards Artemis. He caught her by the shoulders, staggering. The books fell around them. She gasped, and then got on to her feet. She blushed, and mumbled, "Thank you, Artemis." Then, her chest filled with intense guilt. _He doesn't know. He does not remember me. But, when I reveal what I did, would he still be this way?_, she thought. Artemis's cheeks felt warm as well. "I-It was nothing," he said. But in his mind, he was surprised by his actions. Why did he catch her? And why did he stutter? And why, did she look strangely familiar?

He dismissed the thought. He would be able to identify her if he knew her. "Could you help me with these books, Artemis?" she asked sheepishly. He nodded. He picked up one book. It was a black book, titled Stars and Atoms.

She took the other two books and her file. They made their way back to the classroom. The rest of the class passed without incident. Then, it was time to go back to the dormitories. Artemis gathered his things and was ready to go back, when someone tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around, only to see Thalia. She smiled and said," By the way, the answer to the question you asked me in the library: I just saw her in your little computer thing, that's all. I thought it would annoy you."

Artemis sighed internally. Holly had called him through the fairy communicator in the morning, at school, to tell him something important, when he told her that he was at school, and that he would be available at 5:00. She didn't know about the People, and she thought that the communicator was a computer. He was still unsure if she was hiding something, but he let the matter go for the moment. Artemis smirked, "Well, it didn't, in the least." She laughed out loud. It was a clear and long laugh. "Oh, Artemis, you're so funny!" she laughed. He was completely confused. "Funny?" he asked. "Yes!" she said, and ran out the door.

He shook his head, and turned to check if he had left anything behind, when he saw a blue file, lying on his table. He picked it up. It said 'Thalia White' on the label. _Thalia White, _he thought. _Have I heard that name before today? _He shook his head. After making sure no one was around, he picked up the file, and went back to his dorms.

Artemis looked at the fairy communicator, and then at his watch. Just as the watch showed 5:00, his communicator glowed. He smiled, and accepted the call. Holly's face was projected on to the wall. "Ah, yes, Holly, I had been waiting for your call. I have almost nothing to do here," said the boy. Holly's image laughed. "Well, Mud Boy, we need your help." she said. Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You need my help? Really, I thought that you would never admit it." he pointed out. Holly scowled playfully, "The People need your help, Fowl, not me alone."

She continued, "There is a problem, and I need to tell you in person. Can you get me into your dorm room?" Artemis shrugged. "Why not? Where are you now?" he asked. "Right outside the dorm building. I need your permission to come in." said the elf. "Fine. I, Artemis Fowl the Second, give you permission to enter the building," he proclaimed. Holly rolled her eyes. "Overkill, don't you think?" she asked. "Ok, Artemis, let me in."

Artemis switched off the device and opened the door. A heat haze entered the room. To avoid arousing suspicion, he pretended to look for someone, and then shut the door. Holly vibrated into visibility, and sat on his bed. She took off her helmet, and put it aside. Artemis sat in a chair next to his bed, and leaned forward to hear the news. His eyes shone at the prospect of a new adventure. Holly took a deep breath and started relaying the news.

"Ok, so do you remember when Opal tried to expose the People to the humans?" Artemis snorted. Did he remember? He had been mind wiped after the Spiro incident, and then the People came back for help. Opal had made a clone of her and fooled everyone into believing that it was her. She had mesmerized a human, Giovanni Zito, and had him send a probe down to Haven. Luckily, Artemis and Holly thwarted her plans, with the help of Butler and Mulch.

"Yes, I do, Captain. Vividly. What of that?" asked Artemis. "Well, it seems that Opal had a backup plan, in case she didn't succeed. She kept contact with a human girl, so that she would keep the mission to discover Haven going. But the human in question did not make a fuss. She just absorbed all of it and kept it to herself. Now, we have to find that girl, and take her down to Haven for questioning." concluded Holly.

"Where is this girl now?" asked Artemis. "That's the easy part. She's in this school. We just have to find her." she said, as if that explained everything. Artemis's brain immediately started thinking. Did Thalia have a say in all of this? He asked Holly, "Did anyone notice you coming?" Holly shook her head. Then, her face lit up, as she remembered something. "Actually," she said," as I waited outside, this girl saw the haze and looked at me for a moment, but she shrugged and walked back." Artemis immediately stood up. "What did she look like?" asked Artemis, sharply. "She had black hair and she was dark-skinned." said Holly. "I followed her back to the central garden, and she was sitting on the bench, reading an unusually thick black book. It was titled 'Stars and Atoms'. Nothing serious there."

Artemis's head started red-flagging events. Stars and Atoms? That was the very same book that Thalia had issued. He sat down. He had a plan. "Holly, I have a plan. You can go back. I have to check on a few things. I'll get back to you later." said the boy, firmly. "I'm not going anywhere, Mud Boy. I'm supposed to be here till I get some solid evidence to take back to Foaly." argued Holly. "Well, not in my room. You can stay at my house for the night and come here in the mornings." retorted Artemis. Holly smirked, "That's all settled, Arty. I'm with Butler." Butler had been staking out the perimeter of the school, even though he was banned from the premises. Artemis smiled. Never leave the principle.

Holly took her helmet and put it back on. "See you later, Artemis." said Holly, waving, as she vibrated out of the visible spectrum. Artemis stepped around where Holly was a few seconds ago, and opened the door to let her out. He then closed the door, and sat in his chair, rubbing his temples. He opened his eyes and looked around. The blue file caught his eye. He went, picked it up, and rifled through the papers.

Most of them were print-outs from Wikipedia, on topics so varied that it made no sense. Then, a photograph fell out. He tilted his head slightly, and leaned down to pick it up. It was Thalia with three other girls. _Her friends, _he presumed. He searched more. His fingers came in contact with a thin, blue and silver book. _My Diary, _it said on the front. He sat down, and looked at the book for some time.

One half of him wanted to open it and read it to see if anything about the People was written in it. The other half wanted to go, and return it to her. He shook his head. _This book could have some very vital information that we need,_ he thought. He had to open it. He turned the book around in his hand, checking for locks. There was a unique lock on the back of the book. He had never seen a lock like it before. It was flower shaped. Artemis spent the next 20 minutes trying to pick the lock, but it was in vain.

_I need the key, _he thought. He put the diary in his drawer, and retired for the day.


	2. A Friend Needs Help

**Hello, everybody! Here's Chapter 2! I would like to dedicate this chapter to flymetothemoon77 and my friend, for encouraging me to continue writing with their reviews!**

* * *

Artemis woke up just as his alarm started to ring. He got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed, and took his bag. He felt guilty at the thought of lying to Thalia, and reading her diary. Nevertheless, the People had to remain a secret. If the rest of mankind found out, looting, pillaging, and pollution would ensue. He walked through the central courtyard, entered the building and set his bag down.

Thalia was the only one in the classroom, and she was engrossed in her book. Artemis felt terrible inside. He was about to lie to a person who had done nothing to him. _For the greater good, _he thought. He sat down and took a breath. Thalia looked up and saw Artemis. She attempted to smile at him, but she had bags under her eyes, as though she had been crying all night. "Good morning, Master Fo-I mean, Artemis. Did you have a good night?" she asked attempting to look cheerful. He had to maintain his cold dispositions, so that she would not suspect anything. He said, in a cold tone, "Miss White, I do not wish to engage in meaningless conversation. I would, however, like to ask you some questions."

Her face fell, as if she had expected some consolation from him. "I have other business to attend to, Fowl," she replied, in the same icy tone he had used, "I have to find my file. I do not have time to waste in such _meaningless interrogation_." She got up, and walked out the room. Artemis realized that he had only one way to approach. The _kind, caring _way. He recomposed his features, into a calm expression. He could imitate almost all expressions perfectly. He extracted Thalia's file out of his bag, and went out to look for her.

By now, the corridors were starting to be filled by students. He looked at his watch. It said 7:14. Class would start at 8:00. He had almost three-quarters of an hour to find her, give back her file, and possibly extract some evidence from her. His eyes swept the corridor. Thalia was searching through her locker frantically. He realized that she was worried about someone finding her diary. _Too late, White,_ he thought. Artemis stopped next to her and said, "Miss White, here is your file." He produced the blue object.

Her eyes grew round, switching from the file to his face. Then, her face grew angry. "Did you take my file, Fowl?" she asked, in a dangerously calm voice. He did not let his expression change. "No, Miss White. I found it in the classroom, so I thought to return it." he said, calmly.

Thalia's face changed; a suspicious look in her obsidian black eyes. "You didn't open it, did you?" she asked. "No, I hardly think my time is worth wasting on a file." he replied. He extended the file towards her. She took it, and immediately went for her diary. Her face grew pale as she noticed that it was missing. Then, she put on a smile, which was clearly the opposite of what she was feeling. "Thank you, Master Fowl," she said, and stepped around him.

Artemis watched her stride to the classroom. _She knows that her diary would be of no use to whoever took it, without the key,_ he thought. He walked back to the class, and sat down. Thalia was once again reading her book, but Artemis knew that she was only pretending to.

He looked away, appearing uninterested, when a flash of silver caught her eye. He looked at his partner's left wrist. There was a silver bracelet, dangling from her hand. He looked carefully at one of the charms on her accessory. A flower charm! _That must be her key, _Artemis guessed correctly. Now, the problem was getting it from her. He could not ask her for it; she would then know that he had the diary. He had to use someone close to her. _Someone close to her, _he thought. She was new here. He was the only one she had spoken with. _I will have to win her confidence over, _he reasoned.

"Miss White, would you like to go to the library?" he asked. She looked up, and nodded. "Well then, you might want to visit the science section. I will take you there." offered Artemis. Her eyes became slits. "I thought you said that you would not guide me anywhere, Master Fowl." she stated. Artemis noticed that she was referring to him as 'Master Fowl', and not as 'Artemis' anymore. He had, with his actions, made her lose whatever trust she had in him. He would have to work twice as hard to regain it. "Most people in my class detest me. If you were like them, there would be no point in me talking to you." he said. Thalia looked confused. "That makes no sense. Fine, I'll go." she said.

When the bell rang for recess, the teacher left, and his classmates went out for their break. "Well, shall we?" asked Thalia, with a hint of excitement in her voice. Artemis nodded. They got up and went to the library. She headed straight for the last table, and sat down. He went to the science section and took the book 'The Brief History of Time', by Stephan Hawking. He found the book interesting, as it offered a good view on black holes. Thalia was just sitting there, and she looked deep in thought. He sat, and was about to read when Thalia asked him an unexpected question.

"Do you have any friends, Artemis?" He was thrown off guard by the enquiry. "No, I do not, though I don't see how that concerns you." he answered. Thalia sighed and said, "I had a few friends, or so I thought. They weren't, actually. They just wanted to know how to study better. Then, they would insult me behind my back. They all made fun of my accent." Artemis nodded his head. Her accent was unusual. It was American, with a British edge to it. Thalia continued, "I decided not to trust anyone again. I became cold and distrusting. Then, when I came here, I hoped that I would have another chance. You're the only friend I have." She suddenly stopped. "You are my friend, aren't you?" she asked. She was at the breaking point. She had no one to trust here, and she was alone.

He decided to take full advantage of that. He paused. _Full advantage?, _thought Artemis. _It's as though I am treating her as a stepping stone. _ After his mother knew about his fairy adventures, and Holly had befriended him, he had changed. He realized how lonely he was before, and how his friends transformed him. He had reformed. He didn't feel right about what he was going to do. What Thalia just said had struck a deep chord in him.

So, for the first time in history, Artemis gave an honest reply. "Yes, I am."

She looked a little happier. "So, you like cosmology?" she asked, pointing at the book. "Yes, I find it interesting. I also take an interest in quantum physics. It is truly amazing, the way we have dissected our world, making it easier to understand." he explained. "Me too. Can-can I show you something? You have to promise to keep it a secret." asked the girl. Artemis nodded. She took out a few stapled sheets of paper and laid it in front of him. "Here. Go through it." she suggested. He looked at the cover page. It read, 'A Clue To The Big Bang In The CMBR'.

He raised his eyebrows, and proceeded to read. When he finished reading, he could not help but feel impressed. She was no ordinary girl. She had managed to hide it for this much time. When he looked back at her, a triumphant expression was on her face. He now saw her in a new light. All this time, he thought that she was an average level girl, who had swallowed a book on physics.

But now, the aura of a genius surrounded her. He looked at her in amazement. Then, she burst out laughing. "Oh, I have the great Artemis Fowl at a loss for words! Oh gods, I-" laughed Thalia. Artemis was confused. "You don't know me? Really, Artemis. I know you. I knew you, ages ago." hinted Thalia. A memory came to him.

When he was smaller, about five, he had a neighbor whom he used to talk with everyday. She was just like him. Both genii. Both curious. Both scientifically minded. It could not be her. But this confirmed his suspicions. "You, are you that Thalia?" asked Artemis, unsure whether to believe her.

She grinned. "Here, I knew you would not believe me, so I brought this along." she said. She reached into her pocket, and drew a small, folded piece of paper, and put it in front of him. He opened it in front of him, half knowing what was in it. It was a handwritten note. He only needed to take one look to know that it was genuine. It read: 'We can change the world together. When we meet next time, just show me this message. I feel that, together, we can do wonders. Also, please do not attempt to feed me lollipops. From, Artemis Fowl'

He looked up, only to see Thalia waving a lollipop in front of his face. Then, he smiled a warm, real smile. "It has been too long, Thalia. If you had only told me earlier, I could have told Mother!" he said. When Thalia saw that old smile, her chest heaved with guilt. _You would not be smiling at me if you knew what I did. _She did not let the thought show on her face.

She gave him a mischievous grin. "Oh, now, I could not do that, could I? I wanted to see what you had become. Even though we were raised apart, we have grown in the same way." she replied. Artemis smiled. He had enjoyed her company when he was younger, and he felt the same way now. Thalia could not hide it anymore. She asked softly, "Artemis, could we find a quiet place to talk? I have something important to tell you." "We can meet at the central courtyard at 7:00. I feel that we have a lot to catch up on," said the boy. She nodded.

* * *

After a few hours, a figure stepped out on to the garden. Thalia had come dressed in a black suit. She was waiting for Artemis to show up. _Where is that boy?_ , she wondered. Then, _Will he hate me for this? I hope not._

Meanwhile, Artemis was having a conversation with Holly. "Holly, I know her. I trust her." said Artemis. "Artemis Fowl trusts someone?" asked Holly, putting on a shocked face. Then, she snapped, "Fowl, you cannot tell anyone about this! I can't believe it! D'Arvit, if anyone finds out, I'm done for!" "Calm down, Holly. Let me talk to her." reasoned Artemis. "Fine. But I'll be there, in case anything gets out of hand," sighed Holly. "Do you have your iris-cam and earpiece?" "Yes, Holly. Meet us in one minute. Foaly will be with us on the airwaves, yes?" he asked. "Yes, he needs to see this girl." she said.

He then walked to the courtyard and saw a figure dressed in black. The figure looked at him, and waved. He approached her. A voice in his ear gasped. "Artemis. She is the girl. It's her. Be careful." said Foaly, through the earpiece. Artemis nodded at her, silently asking her to start.

Thalia lowered her voice and started to tell Artemis about her experience. "Artemis, I'm sure that you have had an encounter with a pixie named Opal Koboi." Artemis was immediately on guard. "Yes. I suspected that you had contact with her." he said, gravely.

Thalia explained, "Artemis, she told me about all of this. She needed my help. She told me that you were involved. She told me that I could be as renowned as you. She said that you turned evil, and that you needed to be stopped. But I could not believe it. I just couldn't. She said that the next time I met you, I should point the finger of blame on you. She made my life miserable, Artemis. She forced me into doing...doing a lot of things that caused you pain. When she sent that bio-bomb after you, I saw Butler rescue you. I saw you both fall. I saw you in pain, when you broke your ribs. And, I saw Holly Short. She would have never lost her commander, if it weren't for me. At first, I supported her plan. Then, I realized that I could not kill anyone. She was me falter, and threatened to kill me. I-I was too weak to stop her. If only I had been smarter…"

She paused, and looked down. Then, taking a breath, she continued, "Commander Root did not have to die; he was a good elf. I realized my follies too late. I'm-I'm sorry, Artemis." She looked miserable. Holly vibrated into visibility. Her face was streaked with tears. "Commander…." she sobbed.

Thalia carried on, "Just before the LEP caught her, she sent me a message. In it, she said that when she got out of prison, she would kill Artemis, in front of my eyes. She knew that we were friends. I don't know how, she just did. She said that, as you died, she would reveal that I was behind this. She wanted you to curse me with your last breath. She wanted you to hate me, as punishment for faltering." She could not say more.

She sat down on her bench, and covered her face with her hands. She sobbed silently, shoulders shaking with each sob. Artemis looked down at her, and put a hand on her shoulders. She looked up, and her face was wet. "I-I have to go now. Th-thank you for listening." said Thalia, softly. She walked back to the dorms, shoulders rounded. As she disappeared from view, Holly buzzed up her wings, and hovered next to Artemis. "I cannot believe that Opal used her. She did not deserve it. Neither did we." said Holly, slowly. "Her story seems true, but we still have to check," said Artemis. "Foaly, do you have anything to say?" The centaur's voice came out of Holly's helmet speakers. "I'm afraid that her story is true. This proves a lot of things. Holly, she told us everything we need. You need to come back now."

Holly nodded. "Did you get it, Holly?" asked Artemis. "I did. I feel that we need to help her. Tell me about what you read, okay?" requested Holly. She extended her hand, and dropped a silver bracelet into Artemis's palm. Then, she shielded, and left. _Time to uncover a few mysteries,_ he thought. He walked back to his room, and carefully closed the door behind him. He then opened one of his drawers and extracted the thin diary. He placed the charm in the lock, and turned. It opened. Artemis rubbed his hands in anticipation, and started to read. As he leafed through, he saw the world through his friend's eyes. He read as Opal persuaded her to help her, as Thalia came to realize the truth. He reached the last two entries.

_October 15_

_Today was not good. Two things happened. One, the wretched pixie called again. She wants me to send her truffles. Where do I get those from? Truffles are expensive, too. Apparently, she wants to enjoy some chocolates while ruling the world. The other thing, Holly Short is going to get promoted. And the pixie wants to ruin it. I have to stop her. I have devised a plan. I will put a bug in the program she is asking me to break. It will stop the hellfire from exploding. When Opal thinks she won, the hellfire should stay inert, and Holly Short and rescue her commander. _

_The panic attacks are growing worse. I tried relieving the day's events in front of the mirror. It seems to be helping. But I am still scared. That pixie will kill me if I don't do what she says. And I don't want to die. If she finds the bug, I cannot think what she might do. But I have to be brave. I have to do this. For the greater good._

Artemis felt anger. Opal had used someone to do her dirty work, under threat. He also felt sadness for Thalia. She had gone through a lot; she had suffered more than he had. He made a mental promise. He would help his childhood friend recover. He would bring back the cheerful girl he had played with, all those years ago. He turned to the next entry.

_October 17_

_It is my birthday today. Yet, happiness is one feeling that eludes me. I am filled with intense guilt. The bug I entered into the program did not escape Opal's search. She is far too smart for me to outwit. And, now, as I write this, one thought plagues me. I have killed a person. The commander of the LEP. I cannot live with this sorrow. Who knows how many lives I have directly or indirectly affected?_

_Opal had expected that I would try something like this, and she had planned a 'little gift' for me. She gave me her word that I would see Artemis dead, or in mortal peril. I cannot have my best friend's death on my conscience. She is just pure evil. I wish I could call Artemis and tell him about this, but Opal has all my communications under surveillance. If I called him, I would only be ensuring his demise. That evil pixie has taken the liberty of sending a bio-bomb after him. Moreover, she has installed a camera on it, and given me the 'privilege' of watching her plans unfold. I am losing control over myself. I need help. I need refuge. I need a friend. _

Artemis could not believe his eyes. He looked at the pages and saw where ink was smudged. He realized, with a jolt, that those were tears that caused the ink to run. _I cannot believe that she has managed to hold herself together after all of this, _he thought. _She is strong, but she cannot hold out much longer. _He took out his communicator and pressed the call button.

On the third ring, Holly picked up. "Yes, Artemis? What is it? Have you finished reading her diary?" asked Holly, concern on her face. "I have, Holly. We need to get Thalia some medical help. The amount of trauma she has been through will affect her mental health adversely. She has resisted this long, and more will cause her to break." informed Artemis. "But what trauma exactly?" questioned Holly. Artemis started reading from the diary. The October 17 entry was the last one. When he finished, Holly looked sorrowful. "I'll get Foaly to call Argon. We'll take her to Haven tonight. Can you frame some reason for your disappearances?" enquired Holly. "I can. We just need to get her to Haven as soon as possible. I'll come as well. I have to speak with Foaly." replied Artemis.

Holly nodded, and cut the link. Artemis took out his laptop and started typing out a message to the principal. Once he felt that the excuse was good enough, he clicked on the 'Send' button, and shut his laptop down.

_Just a little longer, Thalia, _he thought. _Just a little longer._

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**Please review, all of you, I need to know how good my story is! **


	3. To The Psychiatrist

**Hello everyone, here's Chapter 3! Now, I have not been getting the number of views, or reviews that I had been expecting, so please, read and review!**

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Thalia could not get any sleep. Now, after she had told them everything, the pain of it came back, with full intensity. Her heart was racing. Panic washed over her in waves, one after the other. She shivered. She could hear Opal's voice calling out to her. _I am coming to get you, Thalia, I will. And you will not see the last of it. _

She gasped, and sat up. She took deep breaths, and calmed herself down. _Opal is in prison, _she reassured herself. She got up, took the water jug, and poured some water into a glass. She looked at the reflection in the water. For a moment, she saw the evil face, smiling at her. She whipped around; there was no one there. She walked back to her bed, and sat down, when she heard a soft knock at the door.

She got up, and reached for the door handle, when a voice inside her head stopped her. _What if it's Opal?_ asked one side of her. _Don't be irrational. You are Thalia White. You are a genius. There is no way that Opal could have gotten out, _said the other side. "Thalia, are you awake?" asked a voice. It was Artemis's voice. Thalia sighed. She smoothed out her hair, and opened the door. Artemis's face greeted her. "Thalia, I would like to speak with you. Can I come in?" asked the young Fowl.

She nodded. A friend was exactly what she needed right now. He stepped in, and closed the door behind him. "Thalia, I did take your file the other day," he confessed. "I was going through it when I-" Thalia's eyes widened. "You didn't take my diary, did you?" she asked, softly. Artemis silently opened his left fist in front of her face. In his palm, a silver bracelet glittered. Thalia looked at her wrist. The bracelet was not there.

Artemis took a blue and silver book from behind him, and put it on her table. She lowered her head. "Here, this is yours," he said, and clasped the silver accessory on her left hand. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.

"Ar-Artemis, I am so s-sorry, I never m-meant to-I never th-thought that it would g-go so far…" she wept. Artemis looked straight into her eyes. He saw months of sorrow in them. She was desperate. "Thalia, I would like you to come with me. To Haven. There's a psychiatrist there who can help you." he whispered.

She nodded. He got up, and opened the door. "Artemis, thank you. I-I do need help," admitted the girl. She was still dressed in her black suit. Artemis took out his communicator, and pressed a button. It projected a call screen on to the wall. After 15 seconds, Holly's face appeared. "Artemis, Thalia, come outside in ten minutes. Butler and I will be waiting at the gate. We're going to Tara." she said.

"Tara?" asked Thalia. "You'll see, Mud Girl," said Holly. "Thank you, Holly. I presume that Butler has been briefed?" asked Artemis. "Yes, Artemis. Just get here in one piece," said a low voice, outside the camera range. Artemis nodded, and terminated the link. He walked out the room. Thalia paused to take her diary and pen. "It will be useful," she said, when Artemis looked at her quizzically. She locked the door, and they stepped out into the darkness.

She breathed deeply, letting the cool air flow into her lungs. They walked for some time in silence. Then, Thalia asked tentatively, "Can I hold your hand?" Artemis hesitated for a moment. Another memory had come to him.

One day, Thalia had been exploring his garden, searching for roses, when she got lost in the garden maze. She tried to retrace her steps, to no avail. Finally, she tried climbing over one of the hedges. Unfortunately, she fell, and sprained her ankle severely. She could not bear the pain, and she started to cry. Artemis heard her, and went back into the house to get Butler. When he was wrapping her ankle, he turned her foot, and her face scrunched up in pain. Artemis took her hand in his, and comforted her. After her leg was done, she mumbled a thank you to Butler, and told Artemis that she was a 'brave girl' and that she would have been fine even if he did not hold her hand.

Now, she was asking for his hand. He did what he had done years ago. Thalia's body relaxed a little, when she found a caring hand. Artemis could not help but ask her, "Aren't you brave enough?" She looked at him, and managed a smile. But her grip did not loosen.

They walked through the school grounds, and reached the main gate. There was a Bentley waiting for them. As they approached the car, the driver's windowpane rolled down. "Nice to see you again, Butler. It has been a long time." said Thalia. "Nice to see you as well, Thalia. You've grown a lot." said Butler, smiling. Then, he looked at their hands, and then at them. They both hurriedly broke the hold, and stepped into the back seats of the car.

Holly was sitting up front. "I've been meaning to see Tara in person, for a long time," said Artemis. Holly laughed. "You will, both of you, but for now, _go to sleep_." Artemis tried to resist, but the Mesmer washed over him, and he started to drift off. _Not again, _he thought. Thalia's head slumped onto Artemis's lap, and Artemis was limp against the window. Butler looked at them through the rear view mirror, and chuckled. _He finally has a friend his own age, _he thought.

They drove for an hour, and parked the car at the fence of a farm. Holly looked back, and said, her voice layered with the mesmer. "_Wake up, sleepyheads._ We're here. This is Tara, also known as E1."

Artemis groaned as he woke up. "Sleeping in a moving car with your head against the window is not a pleasant experience." he said, wearily. He saw Thalia's head on his lap, and moved her into a vertical position. Suddenly, she jerked awake. "Where-where are we? Is this Tara?" she asked.

Holly smirked. "Guess who was sleeping on Artemis's lap this whole time?" she teased. "I-I was?" asked Thalia, blushing. She glanced at Artemis. He was red as well. "Captain, I think that's enough delay. Let's go down." said Artemis, curtly. Holly laughed. They climbed over the gate, one by one, Artemis stumbling as he crossed.

In a few minutes, they were strapped into seats in a shuttle. As Holly fired up the engines, Thalia was thinking. _Do I need a psychiatrist? Am I that far gone? _Then, the fatigue of the entire ordeal set in. _I am tired, so very tired. _Then, her vision started to blacken, and she slumped in her harness. Artemis looked her way, and saw her faint. "Butler, she's fainted! Is she fine?" he asked. Butler unstrapped his harness, and took her in his hands. He checked her pulse. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic, and her pulse was normal. "It's just fatigue. She'll be fine after getting some good sleep." he declared. Artemis nodded. Then, he shifted in his seat, and kept his head in a comfortable position. Slowly, he fell asleep.

After a few hours, Holly parked the shuttle, and announced over the speakers. "Ok, we're here. Get out, everybody." Artemis woke up, and released the belt. He looked at Butler. He was still holding Thalia, and she was sleeping soundly.

They walked out of the shuttle port, and were headed to Doctor Argon's clinic. The fairies roaming around Haven at this time were mostly drunk gnomes, and a few kleptomaniac dwarfs, who took advantage of the fact that the gnomes were drunk. A dwarf came close to Butler, and Butler growled. The dwarf turned and ran. They walked till they reached a junction.

"Ok, I'm going to Police Plaza; you guys get her to Argon's." said Holly. Artemis protested. "Holly, I have a few things that I want to discuss with Foaly." he argued. Holly turned to face the boy. "Are you that clueless? You're the one whom she needs most!" she retorted. Artemis did not know what to say. It was true, after all.

Holly sighed. "Foaly will come to see her in a few hours. Right now, I have to finish submitting my report." Artemis agreed. He had a lot of questions. Why did Opal use her? She would have expected the girl to get cold feet. And why was Thalia so indispensable? The pixie would not hesitate to kill an ineffective helper. There was more to her plan.

By the time Artemis had finished hypothesizing all possible scenarios, they had reached their destination. They walked into the grand facility. Argon had two pixie helpers escort them into the treatment room. Mood lights pulsed gently from almost every corner, and the sound of the ocean gushed from ultra-modern gel technology speakers. Artemis could not help but feel that the whole setup was clichéd, but they provided the best therapy in Haven.

The gnome doctor came in through the left door, rubbing his hip. "Set her on the bed, please," he asked Butler. He gently placed her on the bed, and stepped away. "Now, when she wakes up, I want someone close to her to be here." said the doctor. Butler looked at Artemis. He caught the look, and agreed. "I will stay here, Butler." The doctor beckoned one of the pixies over. "I want you to inform me when she wakes up," he said. "I'll take care of that." interrupted Butler. Argon grunted, and walked back to his room. Butler took sentry outside the door.

Artemis looked at Thalia. He knew that she had still not told them everything. _Perhaps they are too traumatic for her to recount_, he thought. He sat in one of the white chairs near the bed, and waited.

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**So, next upload _may _be a little late, but bear with me. Please review, if you want more of this story!**


	4. A Few Things Are Revealed

**Hello! Here's Chapter 4. The next update _will _be late, as school starts on September. Rate and review if you want more chapters!**

**P.S- I would LOVE it if anyone did fan art for this story. I would like a picture of Thalia, Artemis and Holly together, all laughing (as in this chapter, read to see) to be drawn, but sadly I have absolutely NO artistic skills. So, Fan Art is greatly appreciated. (It can be anything in this story, not only the friends scene.) Thanks! **

**The next chapter will be dedicated to the person who does fan art for this story.**

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Thalia was having one of her worst nightmares.

In her dream, her loved ones were standing in a line, all mesmerized. Opal was shooting them down, one by one, and she was laughing at her expression. Her cousins. Her siblings. Thalia was beyond the point of crying. She watched in horror, as all of them fell. Artemis was last in line. "No! Not him! Please, Opal, I'll do anything, just stop! Please!" she sobbed, desperately. She tried to move, but the floor felt like quicksand. Opal pretended to think. "Should I just kill him, or should I torture him before I kill him?" "How can you do this, Opal? Please, leave him!" she screeched. Opal smiled. "I don't think so." she replied, simply. She manipulated her dark magic to take the form of thunder, and shot it at him. He was thrown back by the impact, and writhed in pain. His screams echoed through the room. Thalia pulled at her hair and shivered, unable to stop crying. "Kill me as well, pixie! I don't care!" she howled. Opal smiled even more. "You tried to get me captured. This is my revenge. I want to see you suffer. It's extremely calming, you know?" Thalia fell to pieces, as Opal's evil laughter reverberated in her head.

"Thalia, wake up!" shouted a voice. She jerked back into consciousness. Artemis's blue eyes were looking concerned. "Artemis-" she said, and started crying uncontrollably. Artemis sat next to his friend. "O-Opal w-will kill y-you, Artemis. G-go and h-hide, leave m-me h-here. P-please, I d-don't want to l-lose you." Thalia pushed him away slowly. Artemis got up. He knew that he shouldn't get angry or offended at her response; this was an effect of trauma. He sat in his chair, and looked at Thalia.

She cried for almost ten minutes before she composed herself. She looked at him, and shook her head, as if she were trying to get the feelings out of her head. She wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and sat up. "Can I tell you something?" she asked, feebly. Artemis nodded. Letting the patient talk was an effective way to recover. "Commander Root wasn't the only one to die. My family was also killed by Opal. I had told them everything, as I wanted some support, but Opal found out, and-" She stopped, and looked down.

Butler was silent all this time. He wanted to hear her story. "You don't need to say it if you don't want to, Thalia." said Artemis. "No, I have to tell someone. I want to tell you. She sent her pixie henchmen after them. And, in the morning, I-I had no family. She told me that if I tried to oppose her anymore, I w-would die. I was shocked. There was no trace of my family, anywhere. Opal kept paying for my expenses, because she wanted me to continue doing her work. I had no choice." She sobbed, and then wiped her face.

Artemis was appalled. That pixie had no moral values. She would kill anyone, if she had to. Now, Artemis was the closest thing Thalia had as family. He felt sympathy for her. He had never felt this way before. _Thalia is having a positive influence on me. Mother would love to let her stay, _he thought. "How did you come to St. Bartleby's then?" he asked. "I had won a scholarship earlier. That helped me get here. Everything was paid for by that. Only the principal knows about this. And now, you." replied Thalia.

Artemis asked sincerely. "Would it be fine with you if I happened to offer something?" "What have I got to lose?" she asked, sadly. "I want you to stay with me. Fowl Manor will be your new home." Thalia's eyes widened. "No, Artemis. I cannot accept that. What would your parents say?" she asked. "I am sure that they will support my decision." he said, determined. "No, I'll only endanger your family. Forgive me, Artemis." she said, softly.

Butler was surprised at Artemis's offer. His charge had actually tried to help someone. He would make sure that Mr. and Mrs. Fowl agreed.

Artemis decided to change the topic. "What was Opal's main motive?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied, "She wanted revenge, I suppose." Artemis shook his head. "No. There is more to this than just revenge." he concluded.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. The door opened, and Holly's face appeared in the crack. "Is it okay if I come in, Thalia?" Thalia gave her a small smile. "Yes, of course." Holly looked satisfied, and walked in. "Here, I brought something to eat for everyone." she said. "Of course, this might not be enough for you, Butler, but that's all I have." "It hardly matters, Holly." said the bodyguard, and took the packet. She gave two to Artemis and Thalia.

Thalia frowned. "Why is the foil blue?" she asked, curiously. "That's because it's sim foil. 100% efficient and biodegradable." winked the elf. Thalia opened the pack. It had a few baby carrots, and a pack of milk. She opened the milk packet, and sipped it, little by little. Thalia seemed to grow on the positive atmosphere. She became a little more like her old self.

The gnome doctor came out, and smiled at the girl. Thalia knew right away that this was the psychiatrist. "How are you doing, Thalia?" he asked, gently. "I'm fine, for now." she replied. Then, she frowned. "How do you know my name?" she asked. "I never told you." The doctor snorted. "I asked, of course. Now, eat healthy, as it is vital for you to have a balanced diet." She nodded. "Foaly will be coming in the next hour, or so. Are you up to it? Or should I tell him to come later?" asked the elf. "No, I don't mind. I would actually like to meet him, in person." said the girl. She finished the milk, and started nibbling on the carrots.

"That's great. Now, Foaly might ask you some sensitive questions, as he needs a full account of what happened. He knows a lot, but just to recheck." said Holly. The doctor spluttered. "You can't do that! The human needs rest, both mental and physical. I cannot allow you all to question her!" "This is official LEP business. Opal Koboi might be developing some diabolical plan, and we have to stop her." argued Holly. "Doctor, I'm sure that you do not want this to go the same way as last time." added Artemis.

"Don't tell me what to do, Fowl!" shouted Argon. Butler cleared his throat. The doctor went silent. "Fine, but you have one hour. After that, no one comes in." he grumbled. Holly rolled her eyes. The doctor turned back to Thalia. "Now, after a few hours, we'll talk about your problem." Thalia looked at him strangely. "Doctor, the only problem with me is that I have PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, and I think I can recover soon enough." The doctor smiled even more. "Well, I see you have a diagnosis. It is a great thing that you think you can recover, because you will." he said, and went back to his room.

"He is a little….off." she remarked. All three of them looked at her. "I mean, I'm the patient here, but, you know, he's unusual." Butler tried not to smile. _Just like Artemis, that one, _he thought. Artemis was glad that the old Thalia was coming back, but he knew that it would take at least ten more sessions before she was completely cured. Thalia stifled a yawn. "Get some more sleep. We'll be here." said Holly. Thalia nodded. She put her head on the pillow, and in a few minutes, she was asleep.

"Looks like she missed a lot of sleep," noted Holly. Artemis did not notice her comment as he was deep in thought. "Artemis," said Butler, in his low voice. He snapped back to attention and said, "Yes?" "Holly just said something, Artemis." continued Butler. "Sorry, old friend, but I was just thinking." replied Artemis. "How did you become so close to her?" asked Holly, curiously. "It's a long story," said Artemis, smiling.

"We hated each other at first. She thought that I was obnoxious, and I thought that she was vain, and self-centered. Then one day, her parents left her in my mother's care, as they had to go for a business trip. We were about five, then. That was the day we really got to know each other. When her parents came back two days later, she was reluctant to leave. Then, she started coming to my house every evening, and every weekend. We did amazing things together. The power of two genii cannot be underestimated." "Of course," said Holly, sarcastically. Butler chuckled. Artemis looked at both of them, and continued, "Then, five years later, she left for New York. I thought I would never see her again. Then, of course, my father went missing, and I started a new phase of my life: crime and kidnapping. I had forgotten her, till now."

"Wow. That's some story." said Holly. "You don't know half of it," said Butler, smiling. Holly laughed. "But something happened during her stay at New York; something to do with Opal. We have to find out what." said Artemis. "Well, Foaly might have some answers." replied Holly.

When Thalia opened her eyes, she saw a centaur clopping about in the room. "Wha-what?!" she spluttered. "Oh, you're awake. She's awake, everyone!" said the centaur. "Are you Foaly?" she asked. "Yes, I am Foaly, the underpaid, unappreciated genius." he said, flicking his tail. The door opened, and the three of them came in. "Ah, you're awake. Good." said Artemis, sitting down on a chair. Butler stood in the corner, as the seats were too small for him. Holly sat beside her, on the bed. "Now, time for answers." said Artemis.

"Ok, so how exactly did you come in contact with Opal?" asked Foaly. Thalia replied, "Well, I was at the New York Public Library, and it was getting late. I issued a few books, and I was walking back home, reading a book on my tablet, when Opal's face appeared on the screen." "Just like that?" asked Foaly, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I think she hacked into my tablet. I wouldn't put it past her. I was surprised, and tried to switch my tablet off, when she suggested that I listen to her. Her voice was melodious, and soft. I didn't realize that it was the mesmer then. But it didn't work. I was about to take the batteries out, when Opal played a video. It was Artemis, giving a speech on genetics. I could not help but feel jealous. We grew up together, we were equals, yet he ends up with all the fame. Opal said that we would teach him a _little lesson, _and I agreed." She glanced guiltily at Artemis. Her eyes started to tear up. "Please, don't hate me," she beseeched. "You're the only friend I have." He got up, and sat next to her.

"I don't hate you. I never will. I have done much worse that this before." said Artemis. "You'll forgive me just like that?" she asked, unbelievingly. "He will." said Holly, pointedly. She had forgiven him for so many things, and now it was his turn to do so.

"Looks like you've finally got a girlfriend, Artemis." teased Foaly. Artemis and Thalia shot him a glare. If looks could kill, he would be a pile of disintegrated dust on the floor. "Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious." defended Foaly. "True that," laughed Holly, delighted to get some ammunition to tease Artemis with. "No-I-we're not-he's not my boyfriend!" said Thalia, blushing. Artemis was red too. "Foaly, why don't you focus on your work instead?" snapped Artemis. Foaly whinnied. This would go on his gossip website.

"Next question, what did Opal have you do for her?" asked Foaly. Thalia grew sad. "I-she had me write a program that would coordinate the entire machine, that is, the Octobonds that she made to kill either Holly or the commander. I tried to stop her by writing in a bug, but Opal found it. The bug would have stopped the hellfire explosion, so that Holly could rescue her commander." Foaly was doubtful. "Even if the bug escaped Opal's search, Holly could not have released the Octobonds. It does not let go, unless a button in the hands of the controller is pressed."

"That part depended on Holly; if she could have released the bonds, she could have saved her commander. I was fully sure that she would do it, and I still would not put it past her." she said. Holly was sad and angry at the same time. _Julius died because of me, _she thought. _I should not have listened to Opal. I should have tried the Octobonds._ Then, she shook off the guilt. Root would not want her to blame herself. She made a silent vow to avenge her commander, if it were the last thing that she would do.

"When exactly did all of this happen?" asked Foaly. "It happened two years ago, in October. It's almost three now, since it's the end of September now." she said. "Ok, now if I need anything else, I'll come." said Foaly. Thalia nodded. He clopped out of the room, and he could not help teasing them both. "Hey Artemis, take care of your _girlfriend _now," laughed the centaur.

The atmosphere lightened as all of them laughed. Butler smiled. _Maybe she will have a positive effect on Artemis, _he thought. Holly nudged her on her side. "Do you want to see the clinic?" she asked. "I would love to; I need to stretch my legs." said the girl, in return. They got up, and Holly turned back to ask Artemis, "Are you coming?" Artemis smiled. "Of course."

They walked together, the three of them. Butler followed behind. Thalia felt happier than before. She finally had _friends. _Plural. "I love you guys. I feel so comfortable with you both around." she admitted. "That's what friends are for," reminded the elf. They spent twenty minutes touring the facility.

Finally, they reached the room where Opal's clone was kept in suspended animation. Thalia was laughing as she looked into the room. When she saw the clone, the smile melted off her face, and she grew pale. She started to shake. Holly noticed the change. "What happened?" she asked, confused. "Th-that's O-Opal! Wh-what is she d-doing here?" she whispered. Artemis quickly dragged them behind the door frame. "Thalia, that was just a clone. That's not Opal." he said, in a calm voice. He tried to calm her, but he knew the damage was done. _Paranoia, _he theorized. _The next stage. _

Thalia's pupils dilated. The pixie was _here. _The pixie that ruined her life. The pixie that killed her family. Her heart thumped furiously, and she was covered in a cold sweat. "You tried to bring me to her? You three work for her, don't you? It's a trap, isn't it?" she screeched, demented.

Butler had never seen someone's mood change as fast as that. He bent his knees slightly, ready to act. "You!" she shouted, pointing to Artemis. "You wanted me to suffer, didn't you? You wanted to get rid of me, right?" "No, Thalia. Calm down. Relax. It's not Opal, trust me." he said.

"No! I will not be captured by her again! Sh-she wants to k-kill me!" she screamed, and bolted down the corridor. "Thalia, wait!" shouted Holly, starting to run. Butler pushed them both aside, and quickly caught the girl. "Leave me! Let me go!" she shouted, as she struggled. Her fists hit Butler, and her flailing legs almost hit Artemis's face.

Holly decided that she had to be knocked out for some time. She took out her Neutrino, and set it to low power. It was just enough to knock out a human, without causing pain. "What are you doing, Holly?" shouted Artemis. "It's the only way!" she yelled back and squeezed off the shot.

"No! I don't want to die! I-" screeched Thalia, before being knocked out cold. They took her back to her room, and put her on the bed. "I'm sorry, Thalia, but it was the only way," said Holly, to the unconscious girl. "You had no choice," said Butler. "It will be fine. A little electric shock will help her. Think of it as electro therapy." said Artemis, trying to defend their actions.

"I didn't know it would be this bad," admitted the elf. "She has kept her feelings inside for a very long time, possibly years. It's very unhealthy, psychologically speaking." replied Artemis. Holly nodded. "I think it's best if you both go back to Fowl Manor. I'll take care of her. You can check on her after a month." said Holly.

"I see. Very well. We'll go back home on the next shuttle." agreed Artemis. He looked at his friend. It pained him to see the cheerful girl he knew reduced to a raving lunatic.

_I'll be back, Thalia, _he mentally promised. _Don't worry._

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**Remember the 3 R's: Read, Rate and Review! And the 3 F's: Favorite, Follow and FAN ART! (Sorry, I'm really obsessed with fan art, as I cannot draw! So, Fan Art for THIS story, please!) :)**

**With thanks,**

**Author1720 **


	5. A New Home

**Hello, everybody. School's started, and the exams are near. I will only be updating a chapter per week. Also, I have received a review that seems like an insult. No insults will be accepted or acknowledged. Constructive criticism, on the other hand, is welcome and will be graciously accepted. **

**This chapter is dedicated to a friend of flymetothemoon77, cherryblossom122, for drawing Thalia White. **

**I would just like to put this out there, Thalia White is more Asian than African, in apperance (she's not from Asia, she's Irish, technically, but her mom is Indian)(This character history thing is complicated, but she's IRISH. She only LOOKS like her mom). She has medium length wavy/curly hair, a very slightly long nose and small, cute lips. She has more of an North Indian complexion. She has an oval face. She usually wears suits, and talks formally most of the time. **

**Also, I have started a new thing where you can ask questions to Thalia White, Artemis Fowl, Holly Short, and Butler. You can submit your questions in the reviews, and they'll answer them in the next chapter!**

**Don't forget to read, rate, and review!**

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_**After a month, in the Argon clinic.**_

"So, do you accept what has happened?" asked the gnome psychiatrist. "Yes. I do accept the situation, and I realize that I do not have to feel guilty anymore." replied Thalia. "Excellent. Now, I'll issue you a bill of clean mental health. Holly, the Fowl boy, and his bodyguard are waiting for you." said Argon. "Thank you, Doctor." she said, smiling.

She opened the door, and Holly immediately hugged her. "I missed you, Thalia." she said. "I missed you too, Holly." said Thalia, smiling. She looked at the boy. "I missed you as well, Artemis." she said, openly. "And you, Butler." Artemis smiled. His friend was back.

"Shall we leave for the shuttle port, everyone?" asked Holly. "Just a minute; I have to go look at something." replied Thalia. She walked to the room where the clone was kept. She looked it in the eye. "You don't scare me. You're a clone." she said, reassuring herself. Artemis was behind her. "Good to have you back, Thalia. I did…..miss you, truth be told." said the boy. Thalia smiled.

They walked back to the clinic, bade the doctor farewell, and headed for the port. Thalia kept talking to Holly and Artemis the entire time. "Is that Spud's Spud Emporium? Do they sell potatoes?" she asked. "The acorn on the Police Plaza building is magnificent! Oh, look! It's you, Holly! See, they're showing you on TV!" she kept ranting, excitedly.

Holly laughed. "You can come on a tour of Haven one day, Thalia. It's great here, you know." she said. "I will one day." promised the girl. Artemis walked behind them both, watching them. "It's amazing what trauma can do to people," wondered Artemis out loud. "How is this Thalia the same as the one a month ago?" Butler smiled. "At least she's back to normal." he said.

Thalia turned to look at Artemis. Her eyes twinkled brightly. "Walk faster, Artemis. Don't lag behind," she told him. Artemis smiled, and quickened his pace and caught up with the two girls. "Artemis, you haven't said anything till now. Why don't we talk?" she asked.

"Well, I have good news for you." he declared. "Oh, really? What is this good news?" she asked, curiously. "I have made plans for you to stay at Fowl Manor; it will be…your new home." he said, softly. Thalia's eyes widened. "My n-new home? W-what do you mean?" she asked, unbelievingly. "I mean to say that you will be living with us from now on." explained Artemis. Thalia felt happy and sad at the same time. She would not be returning to her old home; her family was gone. She quickly dismissed the feeling. _I have no reason to feel guilty,_ she thought. _It's is the past. _Now, she had a new home. She had friends.

She turned to Artemis, eyes full of gratitude. "Thank you, Artemis." she whispered, and hugged him. Artemis froze. No one had hugged him before, except his mother. He had no idea how to act. He awkwardly put his hands around her, and patted her back. She broke the hug, quickly. Holly looked at them teasingly. "Does this mean that we should leave you both alone for some time?" she taunted.

"No, Holly. I do love him, as a brother." she said, sincerely. "I feel the same way. Thalia is like my sister; she is always by my side." agreed Artemis. Holly smiled. She sometimes felt that way too, even if she would never admit it.

"Ok, you two, into the shuttle. We're heading for Fowl Manor." said Holly. Artemis and Thalia got in; Butler somehow managed to fit himself into the craft. Thalia kept talking for the entire trip, and Artemis's spirits lifted. Her happiness was infectious. This was the Thalia of old, cheerful and smart.

After a few hours, they docked in the shuttle port in Tara. As they climbed out, the moon shone in the sky, surrounded by thousands of tiny stars. "Beautiful," breathed Thalia. "You can't see all these stars in New York; there's too much pollution." She traced out constellations in the sky. "There's Cassiopeia, then there's the Big Dipper, and there's Orion!" she kept commentating.

_Please, not Orion, _thought Holly. _I do not want to go through all that again. _"That's great, but we have to get going; it'll be late soon." reminded the elf. Artemis looked at his watch. It said 7:45 pm. "Yes, let's hurry; Mother and Father are expecting us at 8:30." he agreed. Butler had parked the car outside the fence when they had come in the morning. They got in the car, and drove to Fowl Manor.

As Thalia watched the scenes passing by, she realized that she knew all these paths by heart. She had lived here for five years, for goodness' sake! She gazed at the meadows in the distance, where the manor was. Where her house was. Or at least where it had been. She did not notice the tears forming in her eyes, till they blurred her vision. She closed her eyes, and two tears fell silently. _My old house, my family, everything, all gone, _she thought. _All gone long ago. _

She thought back to when she had moved out. She was extremely sad; she did not want to leave. She had given her old puppy toy to Artemis, to take care of it, till she came back. Tears kept flowing silently. She wiped them away, and sniffed. "Are you alright, Thalia?" asked Artemis, noticing her sniffing. "Y-yes, I a-am, I j-just thought about m-my old h-house and-" she said, and started crying into her hands. Artemis really had no idea what to do; comforting others was not his strong suit. Nevertheless, he took Thalia's hand in his, the same old caring gesture, and she looked up, with a small smile on her face.

"I suppose t-that i-it's all in the p-past, r-right?" she sobbed. "Don't repress your feelings, Thalia, let them out. It's alright. You have a new house now. A new family. You have us, Thalia." he said to her. "Thank you, Artemis; you always cheer me up," she said. They looked out the window in silence for what seemed like a long time. Finally, the familiar lights of Fowl Manor lit the view ahead. Butler pulled up into the driveway, and got out.

"Fowl Manor," said Thalia, "A very long time since I've been here." Mr. and Mrs. Fowl were waiting for them outside, and as they came out of the car, they both got up from a bench, and walked toward them. "Thalia, dear, it has been such a long time," said Angeline Fowl, "You looked completely exhausted. Come, Juliet will fix you something." The lady swept the girl away to the dining hall, to have some food.

"Well, son, you've done a good deed." said Artemis's father, patting him on the back. "Yes, Father. She has lost everything. Her house, her family, her old life. It's only fair that she gets another chance." said Artemis.

"Let's go in, shall we?" asked Artemis Fowl the First. "Yes, Father." replied the son. Butler followed them both in, closing the door behind him.

When Artemis walked into the dining room after some time, Thalia was helping herself to some crème brulee. She nodded when Artemis came in, acknowledging his presence. Artemis nodded back. He sat down to dinner, and in a short time, the entire family (and the Butlers) were having a three course dinner. Thalia got up first. "I'll be back, I just have to wash up." she said. Juliet got up. "Here, I'll take you to the washroom." she volunteered. "Thank you," said Thalia.

The blonde girl led her down a path that she had a distant memory of. "So, you're Thalia, huh?" asked Juliet. "Yes, I am." replied the other girl. "Artemis had been working quite hard, you know? He prepared some special stuff for you." remarked Juliet, casually. "Really? And what might that be?" asked Thalia. "Well, I'll let him do the reveal." said Juliet, smiling. Thalia smiled back. This girl was a fun loving teen, and was very sociable. "You're Butler's sister?" asked Thalia, "You both are quite different in the way you both compose yourselves." "Well, Butler's always been the serious type, but I can't stay that way for long. I need thrill, and adventure, you know?" replied Juliet.

"I can see that." said the girl. She washed her hands and face, and walked back. They talked till they reached the dining hall again, and by now, only the twins were eating. "Where's my treacle?" asked Beckett, pouting. "No treacle or espresso for you, Beckett." said Juliet. "But I'm hungry!" protested the boy. "I want ex-presso and treacle!" "Simple-toon," sighed Myles. "Are these the twins?" asked Thalia, in wonder. "Yeah. The blonde one is Beckett, and the black one is Myles. Beckett's really active, and Myles follows in Artemis's footsteps." informed Juliet.

"Hello, Myles; Hello, Beckett!" said Thalia. "Hello! Who you?" asked Beckett, excited. "I'm Thalia. I'm Artemis's friend." she introduced herself. "So you're the one for whom Artemis was doing the _secret project _for, aren't you?" asked Myles. "Secret project? What secret project?" asked Thalia, pretending to be surprised. "Artemis will tell you." replied Myles.

Then, Artemis walked into the room. "Thalia, your room is ready," said Artemis, "Don't you think it's time you got some sleep?" Thalia nodded. She was pretty tired. Artemis led the way. They climbed up the gilded staircase, and to the second floor. He stopped at the second room from the left.

"This is your room. Everything's ready, including your clothes, books, stationary, and so on. You should find your diary on the table, as well." said Artemis. "Thank you, Artemis. Where's your room?" asked the girl. He pointed to the room just before hers. "I sleep there. The room on the other side of your room is Juliet's. Just call her if you need any help." informed Artemis.

"Good night, Artemis." said Thalia, and went into her room. It was bigger than any bedroom she had seen. There was a four poster bed, and a bedside table. There was also a TV in the room. She looked at the wardrobe, and decided to open it. All her clothes from St. Bartleby's were in it. She looked at the dressing table. Her diary was on it. She opened the drawers below them, to see lots of hairbands, an ornate comb, and many other things.

She went to the bathroom door in the bedroom. She opened it, and there was a beautiful bathroom lit in creamy yellow lights, and there was a cream curtain separating one part of the room from the other. She opened the curtain and saw a big bathtub. "Artemis is richer that I thought," thought Thalia. She stretched a bit, wrote in her diary, and decided to go to sleep.

Artemis was trying to do some calculations, but his eyes threatened to close. He left them on his table, and switched off the lights. He stared at the ceiling for a little time, and then went to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Thalia was being shook awake. "W-what?" she asked, groggily. "Get up, sleepyhead!" shouted a voice. She opened her eyes. Juliet was above her, and she was shaking her like a leaf in the wind. "Please, I'll get up, stop shaking!" said Thalia. Juliet smiled, and stopped shaking her. Thalia propped herself up. "What's the time?" she asked. "It's 6:30 in the morning." she replied, looking at her watch.

"6:30?" asked Thalia. "That's too early!" Juliet laughed. "Oh, but we all wake up early here, except Artemis. He wakes up at 7:00, as he usually stays up late." she informed. Thalia smiled. "Fine, I'll wake up. Next time, get me an alarm clock." said Thalia. Juliet laughed again. "Come on, I'll show you around the house after you're all ready." she said. "That sounds good to me," agreed Thalia.

Juliet waved goodbye, and left the room. Thalia brushed her teeth, and took a nice, hot shower. She dressed up in her black suit, and walked into the corridor. She was about to go to the hall, but decided to check on Artemis. She tried opening the door, and to her surprise, it opened. She popped her head in, to see Artemis sleeping soundly. Thalia could not suppress a giggle.

Artemis heard a sound, and bolted awake. He looked, only to see Thalia laughing at him. Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm so sorry, just, uh, go back to sleep." she said, blushing. Artemis turned a little red, as well. "That's fine, I was about to get up in a few minutes," he said, hurriedly. Thalia laughed, withdrew her head, and closed the door. Artemis turned even redder. _Why am I red? _he thought. He shook his head, and decided to get up anyway.

Artemis walked down to the dining table. Juliet was trying to get Beckett to have his breakfast, while Thalia was talking to his mother. Butler and his father were in a discussion, and Myles was drawing in his notebook. Angeline saw her son coming, and got up. "Good morning, Arty." she said. Artemis smiled. "Good morning, Mother," he said. "Mother?" asked the lady. Artemis sighed. "Good morning…..Mom." he said, reluctantly. Angeline smiled, satisfied. "Your father and I are going for a walk; you both can stay in here with the twins." she said. They both agreed. She walked to her husband, and whisked him away.

"Good morning, Artemis," she said, trying not to laugh. "Good morning, Thalia," he greeted back. "Did Artemis Fowl just say the word 'mom'?" she asked, teasingly. "My mother insists on addressing her that way," he explained. "If you say so," she said.

walked over to Beckett. "Hello, Beckett! Are you having your breakfast?" she asked. "I want bugs!" said the boy, cheerfully. "Bugs?" asked Thalia, puzzled. "Don't ask," said Juliet. "Hello, Myles! What are you drawing?" asked Thalia, to the other twin. "I am drawing my speriments," said the boy, showing his sketchbook to Thalia. She took it, and looked at the picture. Myles's artistic ability almost was on par with hers. "You seem like a good artist, Myles," praised Thalia. The boy smiled. "Thank you," he said.

Juliet got up. She took Beckett to the washroom. Myles got up. "Where are you going, Myles?" asked Artemis. "I am doing a new speriment with Professor Primate, Arty. I want to finish it." said Myles. Artemis nodded. "Go on, Myles." he encouraged. Myles walked to the lab. "He's like a mini you, Artemis, except that he's more cheerful, and happy." noted Thalia. "I did not have a very happy childhood." said Artemis, with a hint of sadness.

"I remember. Your dad was never there, was he?" said Thalia. "No." said Artemis. Juliet came back with a cleaner Beckett. She set him down, and walked to Thalia. "I'm sorry, but Beckett wants me to play with him. Artemis can show you around." said Juliet, apologetically. "That's fine, Juliet." said Thalia.

Juliet and Beckett went off in search of Myles, as the twin refused to play without his brother. Artemis watched them go. He turned back, and looked at Thalia. "Your brothers are so cute, Artemis. Too bad that you didn't inherit their cuteness!" said Thalia, smiling. Artemis grinned. "Very funny, Thalia," said Artemis, sarcastically.

"Are you going to show me around the house, or do I have to go by myself?" asked Thalia. "Don't worry, you won't get lost; I know that you know this house sufficiently well enough that you can find your way back." said Artemis. "Fine. Can we do something?" asked Thalia. "Do you want to see the ballroom? We removed the false ceiling and restored it to its past grandeur." said Artemis. "Why not?" replied the girl.

They walked down a corridor, and reached the ballroom. Artemis gestured at the tall sweeping columns. "Oh gods, it's amazing, Artemis!" exclaimed Thalia. Artemis walked in. "Do you remember this grand piano?" asked Artemis. "Do I? Please, Artemis. I had dropped my puppy toy into the piano, and Butler had to dismantle it to get my puppy back." said Thalia, remembering.

_The puppy toy, _remembered Artemis. "Thalia, I have something for you," said Artemis. Thalia followed him up the stairs, and into his room. It was neat and tidy, and there was a Mac laptop running on the table. She glanced at the screen. It displayed a map of New York. One part of the map was highlighted in yellow. _Central Park, by the looks of it, _she thought. _Why Central Park? _She dismissed the thought, and turned her attention back to Artemis.

He opened his drawer, and took out a small, elaborate box. He handed it to Thalia. "A promise kept," he said to her. "A promise? What do you mean?" asked Thalia. "Open the box," he prompted. Thalia tried, but it was locked. She looked at the lock, and it was the same lock that was on her diary. "You made this so that only I could open it, didn't you?" asked Thalia. "I thought it would be a good idea," said Artemis.

Thalia removed her bracelet, and fed in the flower charm. She took a breath, and turned it. The lid popped open. She quickly clasped her bracelet back on, and looked in the box. Sitting on a velvet cushion, all clean and fresh, was her old puppy toy. She lifted it out of the box, and hugged it. It was her favorite toy; she used to take it everywhere. "Oh, Artemis, thank you!" she said, and hugged him for the second time.

This time, Artemis did not hesitate to return the gesture. _Why am I doing this? _he thought to himself. His other side replied, _She's your sister. _Artemis mentally nodded. He loved her like he loved his brothers.

He broke the hug. "I really do consider you as my sister, Thalia. You know me so well, you could be family." he said. "I'm glad you feel that way, Artemis." she said. She made the toy hug Artemis, and said in a toy voice, "Hello, Arty! Shake my hand!" Artemis smiled. She was still a child at heart. "Thalia, it's just a toy," reminded Artemis. Thalia shrugged. "I was just trying to be fun," she said.

They walked out of the room, and went on a tour of the house.

_I wish that nothing changes, _thought Thalia. _This is perfect._

* * *

**I know that many people wanted Thalia and Artemis to be a couple, but I could not bring myself to it. I'll see what the general opinions are and decide later. *in a whispering voice* This is an invitation to give your opinions. *stops whispering* **

**See you all next week! **

**-Author1720**


	6. An Eventful Day

**Hello, everyone! School's on, and it's been busy. I hope I'm not too late! I'll try my best to update every weekend! **

**Don't forget the three R's (Read, Rate, Review) and the three F's (Favorite, Follow, and FAN ART!) **

**Like the calm before a storm, this is building up to a great adventure! So, stay tuned!**

**See you all next week!**

* * *

Thalia and Artemis were sitting in the garden, and a gentle breeze played through Thalia's hair. She sighed. "This is bliss," she said. "I am truly at peace now." Artemis smiled. "So, do you like it here?" asked Artemis. "This is perfect. I am at a loss for words. There's a balance here. There's calm, and there's excitement. There's happiness, and mystery. There's bright and dark. This house is a unique harmonious interplay of opposing factors." elaborated Thalia.

Artemis pointed out into the distance. "Do you see that?" he asked. Thalia looked where he pointed, and she saw the city, bustling and busy. Thalia smiled. "I do. I love the city. It's always awake. There's no fear there." she said. "But the outskirts can be amazing too. I love it here. It's just as I remember it." "Well, would you like to go to the city? I know that you haven't seen it in years." he said. Thalia's eyes gleamed. "I would love to," she said.

"Then, get ready. We'll leave in fifteen minutes. We'll first meet up with Holly at Tara. We will then go to the Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud for dinner. Is that fine with you?" asked Artemis. "Most definitely." she said. They got up, and headed for their respective rooms. Artemis took a diversion to go and track down the twins, while Thalia walked up to her room.

She ran into Angeline Fowl on the way. "Hello, Mrs. Fowl!" she said, cheerily. "Thalia, dear, you don't need to call me that. Now, I'm your mom. So feel free to call me mom." she said. She was happy that Thalia was staying with them from now on, as she had always had a soft spot for the girl.

"Ok….Mom," she said, hesitantly. "Now, where are you going to in such a hurry?" she asked. "Oh, I'm going to get ready to go to the city," replied Thalia. "Like this? Oh, dear, Artemis seems to have influenced your style." she sighed.

Thalia looked down at her suit. She had never cared for elaborate clothes; she loved suits more. "What's wrong with a suit?" she asked, puzzled. "Now, you need to do a few things for your hair, and your face. Then, we'll pick out a few dresses for you." she declared. _No, not dresses, _she thought. She detested dresses. They were too stuffy for her. A suit looked much better, and it was formal. Before she could protest, Angeline turned around and whisked her away.

She took Thalia to Juliet. "Juliet, dear, would you do something for her hair and face? I'll take the twins for now," she said. "Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Fowl; Artemis has the twins." said Juliet. "Well, then, I have to find Arty and the little ones," she said, and walked away. Thalia watched her elegantly walk away. "Mom is quite elegant. She has perfect poise and grace." commented Thalia.

"Mom?" asked Juliet. "Did Mrs. Fowl make you call her that?" Thalia laughed. "Yes, Juliet. She's very warm and caring, isn't she?" asked Thalia. Juliet smiled. "Very. Now, what on earth has happened to your hair!?" asked Juliet. Thalia ran a finger through it. It looked okay, but she never bothered too much. She grinned sheepishly. "Not the most hair obsessed one, are you?" asked Juliet, grinning. "No, not at all!" exclaimed Thalia, and they both started laughing.

Juliet ran a comb through her hair, and it bounced. "Ok, Thalia. Get ready for the best makeover in your life!" she announced.

* * *

Artemis was tired of waiting. His mother had insisted that Thalia get ready, as it was her first time having dinner at a high society restaurant. He looked back at his laptop. It showed a map of New York. He was planning to bring back anything that Thalia might have left behind there.

"Artemis, look at Thalia!" said Juliet. He looked up, and saw Thalia in a way he had never seen before. She was dressed in a silky blue gown, and her hair was done up in a bun. She walked to him, and asked, "So, um, how do I look?" Artemis smiled. "You look like Mother, Thalia. Her personality may have rubbed off on you," he replied. She laughed. Angeline Fowl clasped her hands, and said, "I've always wanted to dress you up. Come give Mom a hug," she said, extending her hands.

Thalia was confused. She hadn't even been here in more than five years. Yet Angeline Fowl was so kind to her. She went and hugged her. She felt warmth that she hadn't felt in years. Ever since she lost her family. She felt safe and happy.

Angeline broke the hug. "Now, you both take care of yourselves! Give my regards to Holly," said the lady. "Yes, Mother." he replied, and gestured to Thalia to follow him. They got into the car, and Butler took the driver's seat.

In a half hour, they had reached Tara. They got out, and were waiting for Holly to show up. "Holly? Are you there?" called out Thalia. There was no reply. "I'll call her." said Artemis, taking out his communicator. He pressed a button and waited for Holly to answer the call.

After a few seconds, Holly's face appeared. Her hair was longer, and her fringe looked amazing. She was wrestling with the shuttle controls. "Arty, this is not exactly the perfect time to call!" yelled Holly. "Sorry, Holly. How much more time?" asked Artemis. "Maybe ten to twenty minutes. Depends on the shuttle." she replied. Artemis nodded and cut the call.

"So, what do we do for twenty minutes?" asked Thalia. "Well, I really don't know. Why don't you tell me about your time at New York?" asked Artemis. Thalia glared at him. He quickly realized that she thought that he had asked about Opal. "No, not Opal, your school, and home, and so on." he quickly amended. Thalia grimaced. _You have no idea how much I wanted to come back, _she thought.

"It was terrible. I mean, I did have friends, but I always wanted to come back. I was really sad that we had to leave my house. I always thought that New York would be nice, but when I got there, I really wanted to come back. I missed you, and the fun things we did. When I reached seventh grade, I had three friends. I kept feeling depressed, and lonely. I wanted to come back, to see my house, to see you. But they thought that I, um, I liked you, and uh-they really misunderstood me. They did not realize our bond. The rest of the class relentlessly teased me. I hated school. I felt angry, and sad. I guess I was already instable. Opal only built up on that base. Finally, I broke. And you know the rest."

Artemis looked down. "I saw your friends." he said. "How?" asked Thalia. "You had a photo in your file. When was that?" asked Artemis. "Oh, that. That was nothing. I actually believed that they were my friends, and I-I did not who to believe." she said. "I'm a gullible fool. I don't know who to believe. It only grew worse when Opal warped my mind. I still sometimes doubt others, even you." said Thalia, sadly. Artemis looked up. "I doubted others too. I also suffered from a mental disease. We both have walked the same path, only on different times." Thalia was surprised. "Really? When?" she asked. "Well, a few years after the death of the commander, I developed a fairy disease called the Atlantis Complex. It combines the effect of OCD, multiple personality disorder, and paranoia. Needless to say, I also went through all the treatment." he explained. Thalia smiled mischievously. "What was your alter ego like?" she asked.

"Terrible. I'd rather not go into details," said a voice. Thalia and Artemis started. They turned around, and Holly became visible. She had done up her hair as well, but she was dressed in a simple top and jeans. She grinned. "Holly!" cried Thalia, and hugged her elfin friend. Holly hugged her back. "You look great, Thalia! What happened?" she asked. "Let's just say that Mrs. Fowl felt the need for me to look nice," said Thalia. "Ah, Holly. We've been waiting. Shall we go now?" said Artemis. "Sure. I'm starving." she said, grinning.

They drove for some time, and they soon reached the restaurant. They entered and sat down. Artemis handed the menu to Thalia. A waiter came to their table and asked for their orders. Thalia ordered a 'delicate tart of sweet onion with mesculin leaves and truffle vinaigrette'. "I'd like the same as well," said Holly. Artemis scanned the menu some more and decided on the North Atlantic Wild Halibut. Butler decided to go for the lacquered challans duck. The waiter bowed, and left.

They talked for some time, and their food arrived. They ate quietly, and Holly shot Artemis and Butler dirty looks. "How can you eat that?" whispered Holly, angrily. "Holly, just enjoy your food," said Thalia.

They finished their food, and Artemis paid for the dinner. They walked out. "That was some meal," said Thalia. "It was delicious, but _some _people don't care what they eat," replied Holly. "Really, Holly, I don't think we need to fight over this," broke in Artemis. "What if someone ate you? What would you do?" retorted Holly. Butler sighed. When Holly was annoyed, she could get very stubborn. "What about we all eat vegetarian this week?" offered Butler. All three nodded. "Thank you, Butler," said Artemis.

They got back into the car, and Artemis made a surprise announcement. "We'll be touring Dublin," he said. "Thalia can see the old city again." "Thank you, Artemis," said Thalia.

They drove around, and Thalia saw familiar buildings. She pointed them out as she saw them. She spotted the building where her father used to work. She did not point that out. "This is really nice, but I just see my past everywhere. I just can't move on," she said. "You can. Just rub the slate clean, and start over," replied Holly gently. "I can? Just like that?" asked Thalia, puzzled. "Trust me. You have a second chance. Don't let it go." she said. "Don't let it go," echoed Thalia.

"Do you want to go back?" asked Artemis. "No. I have to face this. I can't keep running away from my past like this. It'll only make it worse." she said. It sounded like she was trying to win a battle against herself. Artemis smiled. _She is brave, _he thought. _She wants to conquer her fears by facing them head on. She is somewhat like Holly. _

Holly patted Thalia. "That's the way; face your fears. Chase them down and rub them out." she said.

They kept driving for a few hours, and then decided to go home. As they drove back, Thalia was deep in discussion with Holly, about whether the Neutrino weapons were a danger, due to their nuclear batteries. Holly was replying enthusiastically, as she wanted to get some more information to rub in Foaly's face.

They reached Fowl Manor, and they sat down on the sofas. "I'm really tired; I'm going to sleep," said, Thalia, yawning. "Me too. Piloting a shuttle while answering a call isn't exactly comforting." said Holly. "Would you like to sleep with me?" asked Thalia, excitedly. "Why not?" replied Holly and they both got up and went to her room.

Artemis was tired as well. He had been woken up earlier than usual, because of Thalia, and he had been working out how to bring Thalia's things from New York. He turned to Butler, and asked, "When is your contact going to get here, Butler? How many things is he bringing?" he asked. "He'll be here at 9:00. Thalia had left her laptop and hard drives there. They might contain valuable information. Now, go to sleep, Artemis. You look terrible." replied Butler.

"Yes. I am quite tired. Good night, Butler. Convey my message to my parents and the twins," he said, and climbed the stairs. As he walked, he heard laughs coming from Thalia's room. He paused to listen. "Oh, gods, he didn't," said Thalia. "He did. He was mortified. He kept complaining about the jeans, and the t-shirt," replied Holly, laughing. "Oh, gods," said Thalia, and collapsed into laughter.

He turned red as he realized that they were talking about the time he had been forced to wear a t-shirt and jeans by his mother, and he quickly walked away. _Best to leave them alone, _he thought. Thalia was enjoying herself. She finally had someone to talk openly with. He decided to leave them be.

Thalia was rolling with laughter as Holly relayed stories about Artemis. She had never had this much fun before. They kept talking, and finally, as the clock struck 9:00, they decided to sleep. Holly crashed onto the bed and Thalia walked over to the windows to close the curtains, when she saw a car pull up. She frowned, and looked. Butler walked out, and paid the man. He took a box out of the car, and walked back into the house. The car drove away.

_What was that?_, thought Thalia. She closed the curtains, and switched off the lights, and opened the door. The lights were off in their part of the corridor, but the house was not fully dark. There were lights on the other side of the corridor. "What is it, Thalia?" asked Holly, getting up. "I'll be back. I have to check something," she replied, and slipped out.

She slowly climbed down the stairs, and she saw Juliet coming up. "Hey, Thalia, I thought you were sleeping," said Juliet. "I was, but I left my puppy toy in the garden," she quickly lied. It was only half a lie, since she really had left it in the garden. "Sure. Good night!" Juliet replied, and continued climbing.

Thalia snuck into the hall, and the lights were off. She saw Butler keep the box on the table. "What is the box for?" asked Thalia, slipping out of the shadows. Butler turned.

"Come here, I have something of yours," said Butler. She walked to the box, switching on the lights as she came in. "Here, take this," said Butler, and handed her a laptop. Thalia's eyes widened. "But this is mine! I left it at New York! How did you get this?" asked the girl. "Artemis thought that you might have left some things back there, so he had them brought here," explained Butler. "Thank you, Butler," she said. "I thought that something bad was going on, and I snuck here. Sorry," said Thalia, sheepishly.

Butler smiled. It was an unusual sight, as the bodyguard usually did not do that. "Well, maybe you should relax a little," he said. Thalia grinned. "Maybe," she admitted. "What else is in there?" "A few hard disks you left behind," he said. "I'll check them out in the morning," replied Thalia, and walked back up to her room, clutching her laptop.

Holly was asleep by now. Thalia quietly kept the laptop on her table, and powered it up. As she keyed in the password, she wondered how much information was intact. This was the very laptop with which she had written the program for Opal, but she did not have that software anymore, as Opal had it self-destructed.

She viewed old Word documents, and PowerPoints. Most of them were for school projects. She stumbled on an old movie she had created on her birthday. She reduced the volume, and hit the Play button.

She saw pictures of her feeding cake to her parents. There was a picture of her getting a present from her sister. She saw her sister running around, full of energy, because she had eaten too much cake. Thalia felt like laughing and crying at the same time. She missed her family more now, after she saw these pictures.

_It's all in the past, _she thought. _Wipe the slate clean, and start again. Don't let the second chance go. _

She spent a few more minutes, randomly searching through her computer. Then, it beeped, as itwas low on charge. She quickly shut it down, and climbed into bed.

_I have to go through my laptop properly tomorrow, _she thought, and went to sleep.

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**I had a bad case of writer's block! Just tell me if this chapter isn't up to mark as my old chapters! It will be valuable! **

**Thanks!**

**Author1720**


	7. Suspicious Behavior

**Hello! I've just managed to finish this while I was at school. My exams start from day after tomorrow, so no update next week. Don't worry, after the exams, I have holidays! And holidays mean, wait for it, *drumroll* UPDATES! Stay tuned! **

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Thalia opened her eyes. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, and looked at her roommate, Holly. She was fast asleep. Thalia smiled. Holly had had a rough time, piloting shuttles, watching others eat _meat_, and staying up late.

She pushed her covers off, and stretched. She brushed her teeth, took a shower and was standing in front of the wardrobe. She did not know what to wear. She would normally have worn a t-shirt and jeans, but now, she felt the need to dress formally. She decided to wear a white shirt and black formal pants.

Juliet saw Thalia coming out of her room, and went up to chat. "Hey, look who's up early today! What happened?" she asked. "I don't know. I have some work to do, maybe that's why," she said, shrugging. Juliet smiled. "Have a few minutes? I want to chat," she said.

Thalia smiled. "Sure. I'm all ears." she said. They walked down the stairs together, talking about the manor, the People, food and clothes. Thalia's stomach rumbled. She smiled guiltily. "I think I know why I woke up early," she said. "Well then, go eat!" she said.

Thalia sat at the table. Beckett was chasing Myles, a blob of green slime in his hand. "Not my suit, not my suit!" cried Myles, running with a style reminiscent of Artemis. Juliet walked over to Beckett, and lifted him up. "Beckett, no slime catch near Myles, remember?" said Juliet. Beckett promptly spread the slime all over Juliet and hopped off. "You didn't tell you were banned, Jules," said the boy, and ran off.

"Ugh," said the girl, and walked after Beckett. "I'll be back." Thalia repressed a smile. Beckett was extremely naughty, but lovable. Myles looked at her and asked, "Would you like to see my lab?" Thalia smiled. "Of course, Myles. What are you doing right now?" she asked. "I am trying to prove the existence of the cosmic background radiation," he said in a serious tone. Thalia was surprised. "How old are you, Myles?" she asked.

"Five." came the reply. "Amazing. How are you proving it?" she asked. "Arty gave me a prototype of his radio telescope." he said. "Myles, you will overtake Artemis someday." she said. Myles looked down, and said, "He is far too smart. I will never rise above him." "Don't worry, Myles. I'll help you." said Thalia. They reached the lab, and Myles keyed in a long passcode. The door opened with a pneumatic hiss, and Thalia gasped.

The lab had a coat of pure white paint, and the counter-tops were all marble. It was clean, and there were a myriad of flasks, beakers and test tubes on the counter-top, and a glass cabinet with different chemicals. There was another table on which two microscopes were kept, along with a Petri dish with a pink solution in it.

"Where is the telescope?" asked Thalia. Myles led her to another door. He placed his index finger on a black screen. It scanned his finger, and opened the door. Thalia stepped in and saw a section of the ceiling was cut out so that the telescope could be propped up. She ran her hands over its glassy cover.

"Myles, why don't we come here tonight and do a little research?" asked Thalia. Myles' face brightened. "Good idea. Why don't you have breakfast now?" asked the boy. Thalia nodded. She asked, "What about you, Myles?" "I already ate," said the boy, and turned his attention to some graphs stuck to the wall.

Thalia walked back to the dining hall, and found Artemis. He was busy talking to someone on his laptop, and his hand occasionally brought a cup of tea to his mouth. Thalia mimed a 'What's going on?' to Butler, and he tapped Artemis and pointed to Thalia. "Ah yes, Thalia. We have been waiting for you," he said. "Why? Who is that?" she asked, pointing to the laptop. "Foaly." he replied. "I see," she said, and sat beside him.

"So maybe, you'd like to do a little research on that," said the centaur. "Thank you, Foaly," he said, and closed the lid of his laptop. "So, are you going to tell me what Foaly said, or should I find out for myself?" asked Thalia, raising her eyebrows. "I will, Thalia. But we will need to delve into magical history before that." he informed. He got up, took his laptop, and said, "Come, Thalia. I'll brief you."

She grabbed a cup of tea before she went after him. "So, what about magical history is essential to us now?" "Well, we need to learn about magic and rituals," said Artemis. They reached the library, and Artemis closed the doors behind him. "Rituals? What rituals are you talking about?" asked Thalia. "Well, this starts with Opal…"

After two and a half hours, an annoyed Butler knocked on the closed library door. The door opened, and Thalia came out. "Sorry, Butler, but Artemis insisted that you stay outside," said Thalia. Artemis came out after her. "What were you both doing in there for all this time?" he asked.

"Sorry, old friend, but Foaly informed me about a potentially critical situation. I'll brief you on the way to my room." replied Artemis. As they walked, Artemis relayed the news. Butler listened attentively. What he understood was very little, but it did not paint a good picture.

"So, are you even sure this might happen?" asked Butler, skeptically. "I don't seem to have all the details." "Only I do, Butler, and I still have to gather more," said Artemis. "It's a risk, and we have to be prepared." said Thalia. They reached his room, and Artemis opened the door.

"So, we need quiet, Butler. Keep the twins away from here. We both have some planning to do." said Artemis. Butler agreed. He closed the door behind him. Thalia sighed. "I hoped to be free of her, Artemis. She's like an outgrowth I cannot get rid of," lamented Thalia. "Thalia, I do not wish to involve you in this matter if you don't want to be involved," said Artemis. "No, Artemis. I cannot keep running away. I will face her." he said.

Artemis rubbed his hands. "Well then, we'd better get started." "So, Opal has been meditating for two weeks straight?" asked Thalia. "Yes. Foaly noticed this last week. He suspects that she might be trying to 'gather' magic." he said. "But didn't she lose her power? When I, uh, _worked_ with Opal, she could only levitate a small cup. She couldn't even heal." said Thalia.

"You are correct. Her practice is reminiscent of the Hey-Hey monks' annual moon ritual." he said. "Have you heard of the demons?" Thalia nodded.

"Well, they used to have warlocks in their midst, and they drew power form the moon. They did a ritual during the full moon, similar to the People's, where they would form a pentagram, and chant to the moon. The pixie monks adopted the practice and performed it annually, during the perigee. This magnified their power tenfold. This year, due to a number of factors, the moon is closer to Earth than usual. This only happens once in a millennium. I would be willing to bet that Opal is waiting till then to break out."

Thalia's brain jumped into action. "When will this event take place?" she asked. "A month and a week from now," he said. "Can we stop her?" asked Thalia. "That's where I'm doubtful. It's perfectly possible that we should be able to disturb the ritual, and nothing would happen, but I doubt that Opal would leave herself vulnerable." he replied. "No, she wouldn't. So, even if she is disturbed or not, the result will be the same," concluded Thalia.

This is a topic on which there are very few experts," said Artemis. "Luckily, I know one of them." "Who? A monk?" asked Thalia. "No, a warlock." said Artemis, and selected the video call option on his laptop.

A few minutes later, Artemis was talking to Foaly. "We need to talk to No1, Foaly." said Artemis, "I don't know; Section Eight probably won't even let him talk," said Foaly. "Section Eight? There is more than that at stake here," retorted Artemis. "I'll ask Qwan. It might work out, but no guarantees," said Foaly. "Oh, by the way, Foaly, you really should not leave those delivery orders on your desktop. Someone might see therm." said Artemis, smirking. Foaly turned red. He kept all his hoof cream orders on his desktop. He never told anyone about it, except Holly. But now, it seemed like Artemis had hacked into his computer, and found his little secret.

"Nice to see someone cares about his hooves," said Thalia, teasingly. "Oh, you just wait, Artemis, you just wait," said Foaly, and ended the call.

"Really? Hoof moisturizer?" asked Thalia. "That's hilarious!" Artemis was not laughing. Thalia abruptly stopped laughing. "Don't be so tensed, Artemis. You've taken her down twice; you can do it again," said Thalia, reassuringly. "Positive thinking does not turn the odds in our favor," replied Artemis. He got up, and sat down, cross-legged, on the Tunisian rug, and closed his eyes.

Thalia got up, and started to pace. _What was Opal's plan? Why did she want me? And what is she planning now? _ A billion thoughts raced through her head, like buzzing bees. _Too much noise, too many questions. Death is imminent, just over the horizon. _She saw the edges of her vision blur, and she felt weak. Her knees folded, and she was on her knees. _No, stay strong. You're not a damsel in distress. _But the thought of death chilled her to the bone. _No! Accept the past, make the future. Don't let your second chance go. _She tried to get back up, but they felt like jelly.

"Artemis," she croaked, before her vision went black, and she lost consciousness before she hit the ground soundlessly.

Artemis was in a trance like state. He was visualizing possible scenarios, when he heard Thalia call out. His thoughts vaporized, and his eyes flew open. He turned, and saw Thalia's body lying still on the floor.

"Butler! Come in here, now!" he called out. Artemis walked over to her, and flipped her hand. He checked her pulse. It was sluggish, and soft. Her warm skin was ice cold. Butler was quickly by her side. "Take her up, Butler. I'll call the doctor." said Artemis. Butler did not waste any time replying, and he climbed the stairs three at a time.

When Thalia opened her eyes, she saw a concerned face hovering above. She blinked. Angeline Fowl's face came into full focus. "Are you okay? Do you feel fine?" she asked. Thalia blinked again. Artemis snapped his fingers, and held up seven fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked. "Seven. I'm fine." she said, and sat up. A man with grey hair looked at her. "That's all. She will be fine. Don't put her under too much stress." he said. _ A doctor, _thought Thalia. "I must take your leave now." "Yes, of course," said Artemis Fowl the First, and led the doctor down.

"Are you feeling well, dear?" asked Angeline, again. "Yes, Mrs. Fo- I mean, Mother-sorry, Mom," she said. Angeline smiled. "I'll take your word for it," she said, and stroked her hair. "Go now and meet your friend, Thalia." she said, and got up. She went out to find her husband.

"Why did I faint?" asked Thalia. "Fear," said Artemis, simply. "That and your previous history of panic attacks have made you more vulnerable." "I don't want to keep fainting, like a helpless little girl. Butler, I want to be stronger. You have to train me." she said, determinedly. "I will. Someone else could also do with some strength," he said, looking pointedly at Artemis. "Time for discussions later, Butler. We don't want to keep our friend waiting," he said, and the three people went to the hall.

Thalia was expecting to see Holly, but she had left earlier, and was on duty. She had promised to be back at night. Artemis had told her that this demon warlock, No1, looked a little intimidating, but she was not to act scared, as the demon got upset easily. She took a breath, and stepped in.

A creature, almost her height, was sitting on a chair. His skin was grey, and he was short. Thalia was surprised. The demon wasn't scary, he was almost cute. He turned, and Thalia noticed that a red rune was tattooed onto his forehead. "Hello, new friend!" he said, cheerily. "What's your name?" "I'm Thalia. And you are?" "No1. Nice to meet you."

Thalia sat on the nearest chair, and Artemis took his armchair. "So, why am I here again?" asked the little demon. "We need a few answers. It concerns the moon rituals." said Artemis. "Oh, the ritual. We warlocks only do it once a month, but I only need to do it four times a year. Qwan says I'm very powerful." said the demon. "Qwan? Who's Qwan?" asked Thalia, confused.

"He's my mentor. He used to be the leader of a warlock team, but the others all, um, got stoned, and could not come back." informed No1. "I see." said Thalia. "So, No1, can you elaborate on the ritual?" asked Artemis, leaning forward. "Ok, so basically, we form a pentagram, and we chant a special spell that only works during a full moon. Now, it's only me and Qwan, and we're sufficiently powerful to just do it with both of us. But, the pixie monks adopted our ritual and did it when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit, or the perigee. They could summon more power that way, you see?" said the little grey creature.

"What happens if we disturb this ritual?" asked Artemis. "I'm not sure. Either the fairy gets stoned, or they release their magic violently. Both ways don't end well. It would be better not to disturb the ritual. Especially if it's a pixie. They have a very small magical capacity, so they tend to release their power, and their life force through a tremendous explosion." he said.

"Hmmm. Thank you, No1. You have been very helpful." said Artemis. "I am always ready to help my friends." said the demon, and teleported back to Haven. It was a new trick, and No1 decided to try it out. A red circle was burnt into the ground, and after a few seconds, it faded to become a thin, grey circle.

"That was a lot of work. I just want to rest now." said Thalia. Artemis nodded. Thalia opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. "W hat did you want to say?" asked Artemis. "Nothing. Nothing of importance." she said, and stared off into the distance.

"Your family disappeared on this very day, two years ago, yes?" asked Artemis. "How did you know?" asked Thalia. "Use a stronger password, Thalia. I just happened to crack it. It was marked on your computer's calendar." replied Artemis.

"I just wanted to go visit them. In New York. But, that's not possible, is it?" she asked. "Probable. Not impossible. I'll see what I can do." replied. Artemis. "Thank you, Artemis. I'll be ready tomorrow," said Thalia. It was already 5:00pm. The twins ran into the hall, and fell over Artemis. Myles turned to her. "Are you coming? Everything's set." asked the boy. "Of course," said Thalia, and got up. "Shall I join you, Myles?" asked Artemis. "Yes, Arty." replied Myles.

They walked to the lab, and were soon deeply involved in discussion. As the night grew deeper, the sky was strewn with more stars. Thalia was looking out of the window, when a figure materialized. It was Holly. She caught Thalia looking at her, and waved. "Open the window," she mouthed.

Thalia opened the glass pane, and Holly climbed in. "Sorry, I could not say goodbye to you; I had to go on a rogue goblin chase." she said. "That's fine. You're back now." said Thalia. "Switching on the detector," said Myles, and flicked a switch. Then, he quickly ran over to the computer, and typed in some coordinates.

A loud hum filled the room. Everyone closed their ears. "Sorry," said Myles, and typed in another set of coordinates. The hum grew fainter, but it was still there.

"60% of that sound is the background radiation," informed Myles. Thalia walked over to the computer, and her mind got to work on the graphs. "Myles, change the z coordinate to 40% of the vertical position." said Thalia. Myles changed it, and the hum grew even fainter. "90% of that is now the background radiation," she proclaimed, triumphantly. "Are you sure?" asked Artemis. "Positive," said Thalia.

He walked over to look at the readings. Thalia was telling the truth; the graph said so. He was impressed. Even he hadn't managed to refine the signal to this extent. "An impressive feat, Thalia. Even I have not reached this mark." he said. Thalia smiled. "Don't forget, Artemis; we are equals," reminded Thalia.

After one more hour of interpreting the readings, Holly and Thalia felt sleepy, and the brothers were forced to end their research for the day. Artemis went to Myles' room to tuck him in, and the two girls went back to their room.

"Why is that we only actually interact right before going to bed?" asked Thalia. "Maybe because you wake up early, and I have duty," replied Holly. "Well, I've set an alarm for 6:30 am. We'll both wake up together. No more goblin chasing, okay, Holly?" said the girl. "Fine by me," said Holly, yawning. "I'll get the lights tonight." Thalia nodded, and pulled the duvet over her.

Holly switched off the lights, and climbed into bed. "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite," said Holly. "Bedbugs?" asked Thalia, horrified. "Just kidding," said Holly. "Uh, I knew that," said Thalia, quickly. She glanced at her table, and saw the laptop. Thalia mentally slapped herself for forgetting to check it.

_Never mind now,_ she thought. _Tomorrow, we're going to New York. Better get some sleep. _She closed her eyes, and in a few minutes, fell asleep.

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**Thanks!**

**Author1720**


	8. Back to the City

**Hello, everyone! I'm so glad that I'm back to writing again! My exams are all over, and I'm free! So, this chapter's a bit long. It's actually my longest, but this is important for the plot. I'd like to thank all those who have read my story till now.**

**I've been interrupted a LOT while writing this chapter; I started from Thursday, and now it's Saturday! Please tell me if the story feels a little disconnected or faulty. Your constructive criticism is always appreciated! **

**I'd mainly like to thank flymetothemoon77 and my best friend, as they have been quite supportive and encouraging! **

**Don't forget to read, review, and rate & to follow, favorite and of course, FAN ART! **

**Enjoy this chapter!**

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Thalia was walking through a dark graveyard. The cold was bitter, but she did not notice that. The wind kept pushing her back, but she ploughed on. The marble gravestones were in her sight, but she could not reach them. Mist started to gather around her. The wisps swirled into the shape of a face. "You'll never get there," taunted a voice.

"I will!" shouted Thalia, and swatted the hazy face aside. The face grew menacing. There was a murderous glint in those smoky eyes. "You will not. You're too weak, too fragile. You were never strong enough." said the voice, in a strong tone. Thalia was fighting against the wind. She stretched her hand out through the mist, but it hissed, and she withdrew it. It was coated with a thin layer of ice, and it felt heavy. _No, fight it!, _thought Thalia, but the mist drew denser, and it started to suffocate her. She gasped for breath, but the mist blocked her throat. Then, a musical sound broke through.

Thalia's eyes opened slowly, and she found that the musical sound was, in fact, her alarm. She sat up, and stretched. Holly was turning and twisting in the bed. Thalia gently shook her. "Holly, get up," she said. Holly opened her eyes, and groaned. "Is it 6:00 already?" she asked. "6:30," corrected Thalia. "And yes, it is." Holly jumped out of bed. "Fine by me," she said.

"You were sleepy one minute, and then you jumped out the next. How?" asked Thalia. "Training," she said, simply. "Ok, then. I have to take a bath, and then we'll go down for breakfast." said Thalia. "Way ahead of you, Thalia," said Holly. "I already took a bath." "When?" asked Thalia. "Earlier. I woke up early today, and took a bath, but when I saw you sleeping, I decided that I wanted a nap." said Holly. "Fine. I'll meet you in the dining hall," said Thalia, and pushed Holly out of the room. "I'll be down in twenty minutes."

Holly sighed, and walked down to the dining hall. Meanwhile, Thalia took a quick, hot shower and put on her black suit. She tried to tie her hair like how Juliet had taught her to, but she got confused, and decided to just tie it normally. She was about to leave when she remembered her laptop. She went back, and took the chrome device down with her.

Artemis and Holly were already down there, and there was a bowl of salad in front of her. Holly took a bite of it, and wrinkled her nose. "This isn't exactly my favorite salad," she said. "Who made it?" Artemis put on a bland face and said, "I did. Butler is working on the jet right now, and you were complaining, so I was forced to make it myself." Thalia jumped into the conversation. "I'm lucky I'm not you, Holly," she said, winking at Holly. "Very funny, Thalia," said Artemis drily.

"So, what about the jet?" asked Thalia. "Are we going to New York?" Artemis nodded. "Yes, we are. We also have a little investigating to do." he said. Thalia nodded, and sat down. "So, where's the food?" she asked. They both looked at her, waiting for the message to sink in. "Oh, yes, Butler's working on the jet," she noted. "So, will I have to make it myself?" she asked. "Yes, Thalia." said Artemis. Holly got up, and went after Thalia. Artemis raised an eyebrow, and Holly replied, "Sorry, Artemis. I'm hungry, and I want proper food."

Artemis sighed. He decided to follow Holly, as he was free, and had nothing productive to do. Thalia was going through the smaller fridge, and was picking out items. "Some cheese, lettuce, and bread," she said, and took them out. She walked over to the hooks and chose an apron. She wrapped it around the suit, and started to gather them together.

"I think a simple sandwich is enough," she said, and washed the lettuce. Holly opened the bag of bread, took one out, and started eating it. Artemis stood in the doorway and listened carefully. Even with all his genius, he could not make even a sandwich for himself. He would never openly admit it, but he thought it was a survival skill, in case he had to feed himself.

Thalia kept the leaves aside, and heated up some bread in the microwave. Then, Holly spread cheese over them, and kept the lettuce in between. She started to eat it right away, and nodded. "Better," she said, after she gulped the last mouthful. Thalia grimaced. "Really? This isn't my best recipe, Holly." she said. "At least it's better than the salad," she said, and Thalia suppressed a smile. Then, she spotted Artemis.

"Here, I made one for you as well." said Thalia, and passed him a sandwich. He held it in one hand, and looked at it. "How do you eat it and stay clean?" asked Artemis. "Put it on a plate," said Holly, and Thalia washed one and gave it to him. Artemis kept it on the plate, and proceeded to stare at it some more. "What is it?" asked Thalia. "I can work out the ratio of the width to the length, and I can work out how to cut it into equal slices, but I do not know how to ingest it," he said.

Thalia sighed. "Just eat it with your hands," she said. Artemis looked appalled. "Fine, eat it with a fork." she suggested. He went and got a fork and a knife, and cut it into equal pieces, whose length to width ratio was the golden ratio. "How did you learn to make food?" asked Artemis. Thalia laughed. "I just picked it up. Besides, I'm not an expert chef. I only know how to make sustenance," she said. Artemis took a bite of the sandwich, and immediately regretted it. He managed to choke down the piece, and commented, "It tastes quite bland, and has too much of a crunch." Thalia frowned. Holly replied quickly, "It has too much of a crunch, is bland and cannot be called a salad." "I am not a chef, Holly," retorted Artemis. "I'm not a chef either," snapped Thalia. Artemis replied, "Well, I'm sorry then." He knew a lost argument when he saw one.

Butler came in, and stopped. He smiled, pointed to the sandwich, and asked, "Who made it?" "I did, but someone here wants something less bland and crunchy," said Thalia. Butler laughed. The very situation was comical, and it was rarely that one came across one involving Artemis Fowl. "There's food on the jet," he said. Artemis recomposed his features, and put on a neutral expression. "Very well, shall we depart?" he asked.

"I'm ready," said Thalia. "Me too," said Holly. Artemis gestured towards the door, and they all went out. They went out into the wide area near a hill, and Thalia spotted a barn. "Why is there a barn there?" she asked. "Artemis does his training there," said Butler. "He is _supposed _to do it every day." "Well, can I train there?" asked Thalia. "Sure. I'll train you. But beware, it _will _be tough." replied Butler. "It does not matter. I will do it." said Thalia, determinedly. Holly smirked. "But Arty here isn't very tough, is he?" she asked, tauntingly.

Artemis rolled his eyes, and snapped, "Let's get going, shall we?" Thalia smiled. "Okay, Artemis," she said, and started jogging up the hill. Holly took after her, and Butler started jogging as well. "Catch up if you can, Artemis!" shouted Holly. Artemis sighed. He tried running, but he resembled a dog running in quicksand. He tried to speed up, but his muscles were screaming for rest. _I really need more exercise, _he thought.

They reached the barn, and they went behind it, to see a white jet, gleaming in the sunlight. Artemis took some time to stop panting, and composed himself. "A private jet. How rich are you, Artemis?" asked Thalia, surprised. "Let's not talk about that, shall we? The figure alone will scare you." said Artemis. Thalia rolled her eyes, and stepped in. It was quite luxurious, and each seat was extremely comfortable. Holly sat down in one, and immediately recognized its style. "Artemis, this is gel suspension, isn't it?" she asked, suspiciously. "Yes," replied Artemis. "Why are you using fairy technology?" asked Holly. "No one else uses this jet, except me and Butler. The fairies are completely safe. Also, I have improved upon Foaly's design, so it is not all fairy technology." he said.

"Nice. So, how long does it take to travel from Ireland to New York?" asked Thalia. "About 6 to 7 hours. We have a lot of time." said Artemis. "I see. So, where do we stay for the night?" she asked. "At The Towers," said Artemis. "The Towers. You are quite rich." commented Thalia. "Shall I start, Artemis?" asked Butler. "Yes, Butler. Take the most direct route." advised Artemis. Holly got up. "I want to see how you fly this bird," she said, and went to the front and strapped herself into the other seat.

Artemis reclined in his seat. He steepled his fingers, and closed his eyes. Thalia looked at him. He was calm, cool, and smart. He always tackled a problem logically, and was a genius. She, well, used to be all that, but she was jittery, scared, and weak after Opal. She could not show her genius fully. She knew that she matched Artemis for intellect, but she lacked his calm, and cool. _Why? Why should you aspire to be like him? _asked a rebellious voice in her. _I am not aspiring, I'm trying to adopt those qualities,_ retorted another voice in her head. Thalia leaned back, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, and there were sparks in them.

_I am calm, _she thought. She took the extra time as a chance to contemplate, and to come to terms with her feelings. She closed her eyes, and her mind got to work. She re-watched her terrible experiences, relived her worst nightmares, and reconciled with her mind. She steeled herself, and opened her mind to the world. She embraced the diversity of life, and the different paths that she had travelled down. She felt a tingling sensation at the base of her neck, and it was faint at first, but started to intensify. _What is that sensation?_ she thought. It grew painful, and she yelled.

Her eyes snapped open, and she rubbed the back of her neck. "Is everything fine back there?" asked Holly, looking back. "Yes, Holly. My neck just got tired," she said. Artemis was looking at her, concerned. "It was nothing," she said, and leaned back again. She could almost feel Artemis's suspicion. She opened her eyes again, and he was still looking at her. She said, "It was nothing, Artemis. I think my spine was stressed," she said. Artemis nodded, and got up. "Where are you going?" she asked. "I wanted some water. Do you want anything?" asked Artemis. "I would also like some water, Artemis." she said.

Artemis nodded, and went to the back of the jet. He returned in a few minutes, holding two crystal flutes with some water in them. "Irish spring water," he said, and offered one to Thalia. "Thank you," she said, and took it. Artemis sipped some water, and looked Thalia in the eye. "What just happened, Thalia?" he asked. "I don't know. The back of my neck just started to hurt," she said. Artemis nodded, and sipped some more water. Thalia tried some, and she nodded in agreement. "This water tastes….different," she said. "It tastes more….pure, more clean." she said. Artemis smiled. "This is the closest thing we have to pure fairy water. Almost void of toxins and beneficial to the body's systems." he informed.

He pointed at the laptop. "Why did you bring that?" he asked. "Oh, this? I just wanted to check it, browse through all the files and folders." she said. She booted the system, and the password screen came up. "T, H, at the rate sign, L, exclamation mark, and at the rate sign," said Artemis. To anyone else, it would have sounded like gibberish, but it was Thalia's laptop password. She keyed it in, and looked at Artemis. "Can you please not try to hack into my system? I need my privacy," she said. "Fine," said Artemis, and walked over to a shelf on the wall. He opened it, and took out a PowerBook. He started it up, and got to work.

Thalia watched the familiar desktop open after many years. The files were exactly the same as she left it the day she came back to Ireland. She opened the Pictures folder, and was browsing through the photos. Many of them were of the iconic buildings in New York. There were also pictures of her school, Macy's Department Store, and her flat. She saw a folder named 'Leaving Home'. She opened it, and photos of her old house came up. She scrolled through them, and she stopped at a picture of her and Artemis when they were smaller. She guessed that they were only five, the same age as the twins.

Artemis was dressed in a normal shirt, and pants. He was standing beside Thalia, smiling. Thalia was wearing a frilly frock, and she was smiling so hard, that her father used to call it a 'sunshine overload'. She smiled, and called to Artemis. He looked up, and looked at the picture. A smile spread across his face as he looked at it in detail. "I remember this day. This was during Easter, when you came over to my house for a celebration for the first time." he said.

"Yes, it was. I didn't know I had all these old pictures," said Thalia. Artemis smiled, and went back to his screen. She sat and looked at all the pictures. She moved on to some of the Word documents. Most of them were worksheets, or reports. She then stumbled across a file of huge size. She frowned, and opened the file. She gasped when she saw the contents. It was almost the entire code that she had written for Opal. She scanned each line carefully.

After two hours, she had processed every line in the code. All of it was intact, except the execution code. Thalia had made this as a sort of draft code for the actual program, and the file type was converted more than once, causing it to corrupt. She had no idea how it had come back to normal, but she decided not to worry about that.

Thalia quickly encrypted the file with True Crypt AES, but that was only temporary. She planned to write out a whole new program to keep it hidden, as she suspected that Artemis would try to hack into the system, even if he had promised not to. _An Eternity Code, _she thought. It would be the safest way, even though it was hard work.

She isolated her system from all networks, and the internet. Any connection could be used in reverse, to access her computer from the Internet. She changed her password to a more secure one, and shut it down.

Thalia was exhausted after all the work, and got up. Butler had left the flight on autopilot, and Holly was at the wheel, if anything went wrong. A delicious smell drifted into the cabin from the jet's kitchen. "What is that?" asked Thalia, almost drooling. She had only eaten a lettuce sandwich in the morning, and she was tired.

"Butler's making something for us," informed Holly. "What is he making?" asked Thalia. "I presume it's some kind of pasta," said Artemis. "I can smell the sauce." "That's great. I'm really hungry," said Thalia. Butler soon came out with three bowls of delicious pasta, and placed them on the jet's table. "I have to pilot now. If you need anything, get it yourself," said Butler. "Thank you, Butler," said Artemis, and Butler went back to the wheel.

Holly came back, took a fork from a shelf in the kitchen, and started to eat. Thalia also got a fork, and began to eat. Artemis did some work on his laptop, and then joined them. After the bowls were empty, they all washed up, and sat in a circle.

"So, how much more time, Artemis?" asked Thalia. Artemis looked at his watch, and said, "About three more hours." "Why don't we talk?" asked Holly. "That's fine by me," said Thalia. "Tell me about your Recon adventures, Holly."

Holly told them her story, from her initiation, when she stopped Turnball Root, and her corporal days, her flight classes to the time they got stuck at the Eleven Wonders, and the time Artemis had turned into Orion.

Thalia looked at Artemis incredulously when Holly told her what Orion was like. "Are you still in there, Orion?" asked Thalia, waving her hand in front of Artemis's face. Artemis drew his head back, but he thought he heard the slightest voice replying, "I'm still here!"

"No, he is not. Thalia, mental illnesses are not funny. You of all people should know that." said Artemis. Thalia withdrew her hand hastily. "Of course," she said. Their discussion eventually drifted off into talks of magic, and alchemy.

"Has anyone found the secret of alchemy yet?" asked Artemis, hopefully. "No, they haven't, and even if they did, I would not tell you." said Holly, making a face at him. "So, what do you think Opal would be doing right now?" asked Thalia.

The atmosphere immediately changed, and became darker. "I do not know, but I would guess that she still is in her trance. This is an event of the highest priority. We have to stop her." said Artemis. "That is one of the reasons that I agreed to bring you here. There might be some magical imprints left at your house by Opal, or maybe even evidence," he continued.

"But what if my flat has been rented by someone else?" asked Thalia. "No, it's not. Apparently, Opal had a fund for your flat payment. It still is in your father's name." replied Artemis. "But don't they know?" asked Thalia softly. Artemis and Holly immediately understood what she had meant to say. Holly elbowed Artemis, and he glared at her. "I apologize for being blunt, but it is the truth," he said. "It's fine," said Thalia.

Artemis could see the sadness in her eyes, and for a moment, he imagined what it would be like if he had lost his family. He shuddered at the very thought, and he looked at Thalia in amazement. He could hardly picture the event, but Thalia had experienced it.

"Anyway, we've talked so much. Why don't we all rest for some time?" suggested Holly. Thalia rubbed her eyes. "Good idea." she said, and set the seat into a horizontal position. Artemis looked into the distance. After their reunion, he couldn't help but notice that the older Thalia acted a bit less intelligent than usual. Thalia used to point out mistakes, and hypothesize at a moment's notice. He had been slightly shocked when he was impressed by Thalia's feat the previous day. He never felt impressed; Thalia was always at the top. He looked at her sorrowfully. _What if one day I find out that she is a burden to me? What then?, _he thought.

_No, don't think that way,_ chided his other side. _You said it yourself; it takes some time to recover from such an illness. _Artemis looked at her again. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly apart. He noticed that she wasn't breathing through her nose, but through her mouth. _She has a cold, _he noted offhandedly. Artemis walked up to the first aid box. He opened the shelf next to it, and extracted a tablet.

He asked Holly to go get some water, and he woke Thalia up. "What?" she asked. "Here, have this," he said, and offered the tablet to her. Thalia hesitated for a moment, and then took it. "How did you know I had a cold?" she asked. "You weren't breathing through your nose," he stated, somewhat lamely. Thalia blushed. "Oh, okay," she said, and ingested the little capsule.

"Can you heal colds with magic?" asked Thalia. Holly looked confused. "I don't know, I've never tried that before," she said. "Maybe you should ask No1, because I don't want to try it." Butler interrupted their talk with an announcement. "We'll be reaching New York in about fifteen minutes. We'll land at the La Guardia airport." he said.

Artemis, Holly and Thalia strapped themselves into their seats, and they landed in a few minutes. Artemis removed his seatbelt, and got out of the jet. It was about 7:00am when they left, now it was almost 2:00pm. Thalia got out, and stretched. The sun was still up, but it was lower in the sky. "New York. The city. I'm back." she said. Holly took a spare LEP helmet, and put it on.

They went through all the airport routines, and finally emerged into the city. They took a taxi, and went into Manhattan, where Thalia lived. They stopped right outside Central Park, and the three people got out. Holly was shielded all the time, and she made sure that she was near Butler. Thalia walked into the park, and turned. "Central Park," she breathed. "I love it here." She walked down a path that she had walked down countless times, with her friends, her family, and on her own. Thalia noticed a blonde girl running down the path, and she stopped.

The blonde girl saw her and broke into a grin. "Hey, Thalia! You're back! Wow, dude, I missed you." she said. Thalia grimaced, and took a step back. "Oh, uh, hello?" she said, uncertainly. "Don't tell me. Did you forget me?" asked the blonde girl, hands on her hips. "No, Fiona, I remember you." said Thalia. Artemis was watching with interest. He had not seen Thalia interact with others before. He decided to stay out of it.

The blonde girl, Fiona, noticed Artemis, and pointed, gaping. "But isn't this that boy? Your old friend?" she asked. Thalia quickly stepped in between. "None of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me," said Thalia, and turned around to walk out of the park. Artemis followed her, and so did Butler, leaving the girl standing there.

"Who was that, Thalia?" asked Artemis. "Just an old friend." said Thalia. "She's one of the fake friends. Don't mind her; we have more pressing matters on our hands." Artemis noticed that Thalia was walking briskly, and more angrily than he had ever seen her. "Why does she anger you so?" asked Artemis. "She's terrible," said Thalia, and left it at that.

They followed Thalia for quite some time, and she stopped at a grey building. She took a deep breath, and entered. She took the lift up to the 7th floor, and led them to a door. "This is it. My flat." she said. "Where's the key?" Artemis extracted a little key from his pocket. "Here, I had this one made for the door." he said, and put it in the lock. Holly became visible, and she looked at Thalia. "Shall I?" asked Holly, and Thalia nodded.

Holly turned the key, and pushed the door open. The lights were all off, and it was dusty. "Can you switch on the lights, Thalia?" asked Artemis. "Just wait a minute," she said, and went searching for the switch. She flipped it, but nothing came on. "They cut the electricity," she stated. "Very well then, we'll just have to use flashlights," he said. He took out his mobile phone, and switched on the flashlight. Holly took her helmet off, and switched on its lights. Thalia walked straight to her room, and it looked exactly the same.

The bed was messy, and there were a lot of books on it. The computer table was filled with papers containing codes for different programs, and her wardrobe was bare. Artemis walked over to the papers, and blew the dust off. He took one pile, and started reading it. "Nice program," he said, as he scanned the sheets. Thalia looked over her shoulder, and smiled. "Yes, it is. I'm particularly fond of that one," she said. "What does it do?" asked Holly.

"It simulates the Big Bang and the epochs afterward, and you can change certain parameters to see how it affects the universe," explained Thalia. "Nice," said Holly, not sure what else to say. They searched around for a few more minutes, and decided to go to the hotel. "Artemis, can we visit my parents before going?" she asked, softly.

Artemis nodded, and relayed the command to Butler. They flagged another cab, and went down to 123 Williams Street. All of them got out, and went into the graveyard. Thalia walked to three pure white marble gravestones at the back of the cemetery. As she walked, the wind grew stronger, and it suddenly felt chilly.

_You can't do it, Thalia, _said the voice from her dream. _You're too weak. _"No, I will see them," she whispered, and reached the marble stones. She bowed her head down, and started to sing. It was a plain melody; there were no words, but the tune was filled with sorrow and grief. At one point, she stopped, and started sobbing.

Holly walked over to her, and kept a tiny hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Thalia. They're at peace now." she said. "I know," she sobbed, and kept her head in her hands. She recomposed herself after a few minutes, and got up. Artemis watched all this carefully. He decided not to bring up the topic anymore.

Thalia walked over and said, "Let's go now." Artemis nodded, and they went to the hotel. They reached The Towers, checked in and went up to the third floor. "Thalia and Holly, you have room 312 and Butler and myself will be staying in 313." said Artemis. Thalia nodded, and took the room key from Butler.

They went into their room, and Thalia sat on the bed. She looked tired, and emotionally drained. Holly, being a fairy, could sympathize with her, and she sat next to her. "Why me? It's so unfair," said Thalia. "Why did my life have to get ruined?"

Holly felt sad. She tried her best to comfort the grieving girl. "I know. I lost my parents too. It's hard to get over. I'm sure that if your parents were here, they would not want you to cry; they would want you to become stronger, and move on." she said. "I know," whispered Thalia. They sat in awkward silence for some time, and then Thalia got up.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "Not so much. I've already eaten a lot." said Holly. "Well, I am, so I'll go down." said Thalia. Holly shrugged, and Thalia washed their faces, and went out. Thalia went down for dinner, and she noticed that Artemis was not there.

"Where's Artemis? I expected him to be here," said Thalia to herself, looking around. She sat down at a table, and a waiter came over and took her order. Artemis and Butler stepped out of the elevator a few minutes later, and they sat down with her.

"Where's Holly?" asked Artemis. "She's still up in the room; she said she's not hungry," replied Thalia.

Meanwhile, Holly took the chance to do a little snooping around. She took Thalia's phone, and put on her helmet. She opened a link to Foaly, and waited. The centaur's face appeared, and he grinned. "Long time, no see, Holly," he said. "Sorry, Foaly, but things tend to get a little busy whenever Artemis is concerned," she replied.

"So, why did you call? I'm pretty sure it wasn't to wish me Happy Birthday." he said. "Actually, I need your help, Foaly. Can you crack the password of this phone? I'm sure that it's something hard." she said. "Whose phone is that? Not Artemis's, for sure." he said. "Thalia's. She knows something more. She has something on her laptop, and I'd bet that her phone is connected to it." she said.

Foaly flexed his fingers, and got to work. He instructed Holly to hold the helmet's built-in Omnisensor over the device. He looked at it for a few seconds, and mused, "Clever. She's made a whole new base language for the device. But she's not clever enough to escape me. You see, any computing language is based on a common frame-" Holly cut him in the middle. "Just open it, Foaly," she said.

"There's no appreciation for genii anymore," he said, and cracked the passcode. He remote controlled the device, and checked for connected networks. "Her phone isn't connected to her computer. I would bet she's isolated her system. Any network can be used for two-way access, and she's made sure that there are no ways to get into her computer," he informed. "That's fine, Foaly. Thanks anyway," she said, and cut the line.

_You're hiding something, Thalia, _she thought. _But I'll find it._

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**There's a very important plot idea starting in this chapter. See if you can find it! **

**By the way, I'm getting my story into a book format, because my English teacher insists on that. Also, please review! They give me happiness, and you don't want me to be sad, right? (I'm just joking, but try to review; it does not matter whether you're a guest or a member.)**

**Thank you!**

**Author1720**


	9. A Secret Talent

**Hello, everyone! Here's Chapter Nine! Now we're getting into the swing of things! Tell me what you think of this chapter, as I am quite fond of it. And more reviews, please? *makes puppy-dog face***

**There will be no parting author's note for this chapter, though. Don't forget the three Rs (Read, Rate, and Review) and the three Fs (Follow, Favorite and Fan Art!) Hope you guys like this one!**

**P.S- Any Nerdfighters here? I want to start a Nerdfighter community on this website! DFTBA!**

* * *

Holly paced around the room, thinking of how to confront Thalia. She noticed that Thalia had found something because she was observing her. She had been staring at the screen for a long time, just scrolling down. Thalia looked nervous, and Holly guessed that she was hiding something. She decided to confront her face on, and extract the information from her.

After half an hour, Holly heard a key turn in the lock. She quickly grabbed an apple from the basket nearby, and sat on the bed. Thalia stepped in, and locked the door behind her. "That was a nice dinner," said Thalia. "I'm sure," replied Holly. "So, were you bored?" asked Thalia. "No, I watched television for some time, and then had some fruits," lied Holly, quickly. "I could have brought you something, you know," said Thalia. "I'm fine with fruits," replied Holly.

Thalia shrugged, and went into the bathroom. She emerged after a few minutes. "Do you want to watch a movie?" asked Thalia, pointing to the TV. "Actually, why don't we play a game, instead?" asked Holly. "Sure. What game is it?" asked Thalia. "It's called 'Your Deepest Secrets'", said Holly. "Really? I'm not sure I want to play it," said Thalia. "Come on, give it a try!" insisted Holly. "Fine," relented Thalia. "How do you play it?"

"You spin a bottle, and if the cap faces you, you have to give an honest answer to the other person." explained Holly. "Isn't this like Truth or Dare?" asked Thalia. "Yes, but there's no dare," Holly pointed out. "Okay, I'll go first."

Holly spun the bottle, and the cap faced her. Holly groaned internally; she had expected it to land in Thalia's direction. Thalia grinned, and it was uncannily close to Artemis's vampire grin. "So, I think that's my chance," said Thalia. "Fine, I have a question. What exactly was your relation to Orion?" Holly blushed. She had been hoping that the topic would not be brought up, but it seemed like Thalia had different ideas.

"Uh, let's just say that he was really annoying." said Holly. Thalia's grin grew. "Exactly how annoying?" she asked, probing further. Holly felt her cheeks heat even more. This was exactly the awkward situation she did not want to be in. _At least Artemis isn't here, _she thought, but the thought did not console her much. She narrated the obsession that Orion had for her, and how she reacted. Thalia seemed to enjoy this little game, and she could not stop smiling.

"And that's it. Artemis went through treatment, and Orion is gone for good," she concluded. Thalia grinned. "Interesting," she said. "Now, I believe that it's my turn." Thalia spun the bottle, and the cap landed halfway. She looked at Holly. "Another spin," she declared. "Only this time, it's my turn." Holly turned the bottle, and prayed that the cap landed toward Thalia. No luck. It landed halfway again.

_I bet that this has only a 0.001% of happening, _she thought. Thalia spun the bottle, and this time, it faced her. "Oh, I guess I have to answer now," she said, face falling. Holly perked up. "What exactly were you hiding, Thalia?" asked Holly. Thalia's eyes narrowed. "I'm not hiding anything," she replied. "Thalia, you removed your computer from all networks, and you were staring at the screen for two hours straight. You looked nervous afterward. What is it?" asked Holly, insistent. Thalia's expression dropped. "It's not that big of a deal," she said. "It doesn't matter, just tell me," said Holly.

"Well, I just happened to find an intact copy of the code that I made for Opal. It's a harsh reminder of the lives I've taken and adversely affected." she said, sadly. "I'm a murderer, Holly. I killed someone. How can you still trust me?" she said. Holly was surprised; this was not what she had expected. She had mistakenly concluded that Thalia was betraying them somehow. She had to learn how people affected by trauma behaved. Even though she had spent a month with Thalia, she still had not been able to know how a damaged mind works.

"I'm so sorry, Thalia. I thought that you were trying to betray us," she said. "Exactly. You don't trust me. If Artemis does not trust me either, I could not bear that. He's my only family." said Thalia. "I didn't mean it that way. I just don't know how a hurt mind works," said Holly. Thalia smiled ruefully. "A lot of people don't. Not until you've been through it." she said, bitterly. Holly felt extremely guilty about what she had done. "I'm really sorry, Thalia. Please, forgive me." said Holly. "I do, Holly. I hope you do too." she said.

Holly sighed. This was a mistake, and she might even have affected the relationship between her and Thalia. Thalia removed her coat, and draped it over a chair. "It's best if we get some sleep now," she said. Holly nodded. She got up, and switched off the lights, as Thalia tucked herself into bed. Holly climbed in after her, and soon, she was asleep.

Artemis decided to check on both the girls. He gently knocked on the door, but there was no reaction. He frowned, and knocked again. He looked at his watch, and realized that they were probably asleep by now. He was about to go back, when he heard the key turn in the keyhole. He turned back, and saw a groggy Holly. "I'm sorry, Holly. Go back to sleep; we'll talk tomorrow." he said. Holly nodded, and closed the door. He walked back to his room, leaving the discussion for tomorrow.

The next morning, Thalia was awoken by her ringing phone. She rubbed her eyes, and looked for it. It was lying on the table. She got up, and checked the number. It was Artemis. She answered the call. "Good morning, Artemis." she said. "Good morning, Thalia. Is Holly up yet?" he asked. Thalia glanced back at the sleeping elf. "No, not yet. What is it?" asked Thalia. "Meet me by the buffet table at 9:00," said Artemis. Thalia glanced at the clock in the room, and it said 7:40. "Fine. We'll be there," said Thalia, and cut the call.

"Wake up, Holly." she said. Holly turned, and opened her eyes. "What happened?" she asked. "We're to meet Artemis down by the buffet table at 9:00," she said. "Fine," she said, and got up.

In two hours, the two girls were ready, and went down to the buffet table. Holly was shielded, but she had warned Thalia that her magic would run out in an hour. Thalia scanned the room for Artemis, and she found him at the very back of the room. Butler was by his side, and his laptop was open. She walked over, and sat down at a chair. Holly unshielded, making sure that no one saw her appear out of thin air. She carefully shielded the tips of her ears, and they looked rounded.

"Are you both comfortable?" asked Artemis. Thalia nodded. "Good. We have some important news to share." said Artemis. Thalia tensed. "What is it?" asked Holly. Artemis turned his laptop to face Thalia, plugged in a pair of headphones, and clicked 'Play'. "Opal's biography," he said. Thalia quickly put the headphones on, and listened. She saw Opal display her intellect from a very early age. She saw the fights Opal had with her father. She watched her disappointment as she lost a medal to Foaly. She saw Opal's rage and fury. Thalia had no idea that Opal had gone through all of this. _No wonder she turned evil, _thought Thalia. _She was tired of being underestimated. Like me,_ said one side of her. Thalia was shocked. The very thought of empathizing with that wretched being made her skin crawl. That evil being had ruined her life. She would never forgive her.

She watched as Opal helped an LEP elf, Briar Cudgeon, to bring the LEP under his control. She watched Opal lie in her coma, and then escape, only to trap Artemis and Holly at the Eleven Wonders exhibit. She saw Opal's twisted time paradox come to life, and Artemis's mother possessed. She had warmed up to Angeline Fowl, and she felt anger. As she clenched her fists under the table, an electric shock pulsed down her right arm. "Ouch!" yelled Thalia, and drew her hand out. Artemis, Butler and Holly looked at her.

"No, that was nothing; just a little electric shock," said Thalia, and went back to watching the short biography of Opal's life. It ended with that, and Thalia took her headphones off. "I never knew that all this happened," said Thalia. It all made sense now. Opal wanted revenge; she craved for it. She decided to use a person close to Artemis to break him. But it had all failed, thanks to Artemis's and Holly's intervention. Thalia knew that she was part of all this, the bigger plan.

"It did, and now Opal wants to retaliate. If we have to face Opal, we have to arm ourselves with knowledge," said Artemis. "Scientia potestas est," said Thalia. "Exactly," agreed Artemis, nodding. "I've also managed to get some information concerning Opal's strange behavior." "What is it?" asked Holly. "That is a discussion for later," said Artemis, and closed the lid of the device. He unplugged the headphones, and handed them both over to Butler.

"Butler, have someone pick up all the papers from Thalia's flat; we leave for Dublin in three hours." declared Artemis. Butler nodded, and they all went up to their rooms. Artemis stopped at Thalia's room. "Do you mind if I come in?" he asked. "No," said Thalia, and ushered him in. Artemis sat down in a chair. "So, can you figure out Opal's motive now?" asked Artemis. "Revenge is all I can think of," admitted Thalia. "Yes, but why would she use you?" asked Artemis.

"I don't know. Maybe because I was close to you?" suggested Thalia. "No, that was ages ago. Opal would not count on that." said Artemis, shaking his head. Holly walked in. "Oh, Artemis. What are you discussing about?" she asked. "Nothing of importance," he said, and got up. "Get ready soon. We will be leaving," and with that he walked out of the room. Holly looked at Thalia, and Thalia shrugged. Thalia felt that Artemis wanted her to keep this discussion between them, and so did not elaborate.

They got ready, and walked out. "What do we do for the next three hours?" asked Thalia. "I really don't know. I can't go out much; I'll have to shield, and that drains me," said Holly. "I see," said Thalia. They stood in the corridor, and there was no one else in vicinity. Thalia started tapping her foot. After a few minutes, Holly got annoyed. "Can you please stop that?" asked Holly. "Oh, sorry," said Thalia, and stopped.

Holly got bored, and went back into the room to watch some PPTV from her helmet. Thalia decided to see what Artemis was doing. She knocked on his door. There was no reaction. She knocked again, and she heard Artemis saying, "I'll get the door."

She waited, and the door opened. "What happened?" he asked. "Nothing, I was just bored," said Thalia. "Where's Holly?" he asked. "She's in our room; she's watching PPTV." replied Thalia. "Well, then, come in," he said, and opened the door. Thalia stepped inside, and she saw Butler packing things into a small duffel bag. She sat down on one edge of the bed and looked around the room. "I'll be right back after I make an important call," said Butler, and went outside.

Artemis quickly walked to her, and asked, "You did not tell Holly about our discussion, did you?" "No, I thought that you wanted it to be kept secret," replied Thalia. Artemis nodded. "I had told you that I had some information concerning Opal's behavior, didn't I?" asked Artemis. "Yes, you did." replied Thalia. "That information is highly confidential. Only I and Foaly know about it, and I haven't told Foaly that I have expanded on it," he said. "Then why tell me?" asked Thalia. "Because it concerns you," said Artemis, quietly.

He gave her a moment for that to sink in. Thalia was intrigued. _Finally, I can know why Opal chose me,_ thought Thalia. "What is it?" asked Thalia, in a hushed tone. "We'll discuss about this at the manor," said Artemis, and ended the discussion.

Thalia could not help but feel angry. Here she was, finally about to find out why the pixie had picked her out, and Artemis was holding it back from her. But she knew that it was a very important issue, and that Artemis had an excellent reason to keep it for later, as they were in a non-secured area, and she knew that it would be plain stupid to discuss something of this importance out in the open. "This is strictly between us, do you understand?" said Artemis. "I do, Artemis." she said.

Artemis got up, and switched his laptop on. He sat at the table, and started to type. "What are you typing, Artemis?" asked Thalia. "A letter to Mother," he said. "She wants us to be back soon." After some time, he stopped typing, and powered the device down.

"What do you want to do now?" he said, turning to Thalia. Thalia was out of ideas. "I really don't have a clue," said Thalia. "Do you want to play chess?" asked Artemis. "Oh no, not with you," said Thalia, backing away, playfully. "I'm not good enough." Artemis smiled. "No one is." he said.

Thalia laughed. Artemis was so good; he thought that no one could beat him. "You never know, Artemis," she said. "I am confident that no one on Manhattan can challenge me," he said, with a smirk. "That might be true, only if Magnus Carlsen wasn't here right now," she remarked, with a smirk of her own. "I have played virtual chess with Magnus, and the match was only slightly longer than usual. Needless to say, I won in the end." replied Artemis. _I wonder how much of that is true, _thought Thalia to herself.

"Let's end this talk of chess, shall we?" asked Thalia. Artemis smiled. Then he said something that threw Thalia off guard.

"Your melody was beautiful, Thalia."

"Wh-What?"

"That melody. The one you sang earlier." replied Artemis. "Oh," said Thalia. That was a melody which she had heard from her mother a long time ago. It was nice, so she picked it up. When she was sitting there, in front of those headstones, the song just poured out of her without warning.

"Thanks," she said, trying to end it there. She didn't want to talk about this; it reminded her of what she was trying to leave behind. "It felt extremely melancholic," said Artemis. "I did not want to bring this up, but-" Thalia cut him off. "It's fine. Don't apologize. It only makes it worse." she said, and walked out of the room. She was irritated by Artemis's tactless remarks. He kept bringing this up, and he did not tell her why Opal had chosen her. He had left her in the middle, with no answers.

Artemis was surprised. He hadn't expected her to walk away like that. _What did I do? _ he thought. He decided that this would not be the best time to ask her, so he let her go. Thalia walked down the corridor aimlessly. She wandered here and there, lost in her thoughts. She went took the nearest lift to the ground floor, and found a peaceful place to sit in.

_Artemis, why do you have to be so stupid? _ thought Thalia, angrily. _You're just making me hate you. _Thalia froze. Hate him? The one who took her to Dr. Argon? The one who gave her a new home? _Oh no, _she thought, regretting that moment's anger. _What have I done? _ She tried to hold her tears in. _I'm sorry, Artemis. I really am. _

She felt different feelings churn inside her. Anger, fear, guilt, and sorrow. All different colors flashed in her head, and she felt like she was being burnt and frozen at the same time. _Only if I had someone to guide me, I would not have done this. _Thalia got up, and went back up. She was finding it hard to keep her mind calm, even after the therapy. It was like something was inside her, trying to get out. Something big, and heavy. She could almost feel its force in her head, mingling with her thoughts. It started when she cleared her mind of fear. A new force had risen in her being.

_I hope Artemis has some answers, _she hoped, and traced her way back. She made it to her room, and opened the door. Holly was still wearing her helmet, and Thalia could see pictures on her visor. "Holly?" called Thalia. "Yes?" said Holly, sliding up the visor. "Is it time to go?" asked the girl. Holly looked at the clock, and nodded. "Yes, it is. Come on, everything's packed. Butler's taken your laptop as well. He said he got a bag for it." informed Holly. "That's nice," said Thalia.

They checked if they left anything behind, and after making sure they didn't, they locked the door, and waited in the corridor. Artemis and Butler emerged after some time, and there was a duffel bag in Butler's hands. Artemis was carrying two laptop bags, and it seemed like he was struggling under the weight. "Here, I'll take mine," said Thalia, and took her bag. Artemis straightened her back, and nodded in thanks.

They checked out, and took a cab to the airport. They quickly boarded the jet, and Butler took off. Thalia felt sleepy, so she sat in the last seat, and slept. As she fell asleep, she could hear Artemis talking to Holly about Foaly's latest inventions, and the structure of the fairy society.

"Thalia, we're here." said a voice. Thalia opened her eyes, and looked. Holly was calling to her. She realized that they were not moving anymore, meaning that they had arrived back in Ireland. "Are we back?" asked Thalia. "Yes, get up. It's quite late, and we need to go back." said Holly. Thalia grabbed her laptop bag, and got out. Butler had landed the jet in a field next to the hill. Thalia could not see well, because it was dark, but she estimated that they had to walk a short distance to get back to the manor.

They went briskly, each for their own reasons. Butler was anxious about his principle being in a dark area at this time, when his principal could be harmed easily. Holly did not like dark and plain places, Artemis hated to walk long distances, and Thalia was really sleepy.

They talked about small things as they walked. Thalia noticed that Artemis did not ask any questions, and she felt compelled to apologize. She walked over to his side, and said, "I'm sorry; I just got a little angry because of everyone asking me about my….past. I'm fine now." Artemis smiled. "Good to know. I did not understand why you walked away like that, but I think I do now," he said.

Thalia nudged his shoulder slightly; it was her way of showing affection. Artemis stumbled, and then straightened. "Sorry," he said, trying not to smile.

"No, it's fine; we all know you're not very fit."

"Don't underestimate a Fowl."

"Really? Well, you're not giving good proof for your statement."

"That's only because I've not used my full potential."

They kept chatting like this till they reached the manor. They all rushed towards the light, and came in through the side gate. They decided to go in through the garden door, as it was the closest. Angeline Fowl and the twins saw them coming and the twins ran to them.

"You're baaaack!" shouted Beckett, and hugged Artemis. Myles also came running, but he stumbled on his way. "By my calculations, you should have arrived at 7:00," said Myles, as he hugged his older brother. Thalia thought that this scene was cute; the two little brothers hugging their older one. It almost felt rude to watch them. Beckett looked at her, and hugged her next. Myles did not do the same, and nodded at her.

Thalia laughed, and hugged Beckett back. Then, she scooped up the little black-haired boy, and hugged him. "I missed you, Myles," she whispered into his little ear. Myles was smiling when she set him down. Angeline came drifting to them. She kissed Artemis, hugged Holly, and kissed Thalia's forehead. "You're all safe, and that's all that matters," she said. "Have some dinner, and you all go off to bed. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mother." "Yes, Mrs. F-Mom." "Yes, Mrs. Fowl." came three replies.

"Good job, Butler," said Angeline. "These three are quite a bunch!" Butler bowed. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, and proceeded to take the bags upstairs. He also took the laptop bags with him. The twins ran back to their game of trying to crack Artemis's shelf's code, and the tired trio walked to the hall.

They washed up, ate dinner quickly, and trudged up the stairs. As Thalia walked up, she started to feel sick. She felt nauseous, and dizzy. She shook her head, and made it to her room. Artemis wished them good night, and retreated to his room. Thalia sat down on her bed, and stayed still. Juliet came in, and said something that Thalia didn't register. Then, her face appeared in her vision. "What happened, Thalia? You don't look so good," noted Juliet. "Nothing, just jet lag, I think," she said.

Holly looked concerned. "Why don't you have the whole bed to yourself tonight?" I'll find another one," she offered. Thalia nodded weakly. She felt like vomiting, but she didn't know why. _Is it food poisoning? _thought Thalia. She didn't know, but she felt terrible. Holly and Juliet made Thalia lay down, and Holly went down to search for some medicine, while Juliet made Thalia comfortable. "Don't worry, it'll go by tomorrow," she said, and switched off the lights.

"Tell Holly not to give me medicine; I'm trying to avoid them," said Thalia. "Are you sure? It might help," said the girl. Thalia shook her head, and Juliet smiled. "Fine, I'll tell her to leave it. Don't worry about us; you get some sleep, okay?" said Juliet, and closed the door.

She could hear Artemis talking to the twins about how they should stop trying to crack his codes, and she heard Myles debating about it with his older sibling. This went on for some time, and then it became silent.

As Thalia tried to sleep, she felt extremely uncomfortable. Her head kept throbbing. She tried to think of happy things to alleviate the pain. She knew it was childish, but she tried it anyway. The flying colors came to her mind again. They rolled around in her head, giving her a wicked headache. As she tried to think of good things, the same tingling sensation erupted at the base of her neck. _Am I really sick? _thought Thalia. The tingling became intense, and she tried not to writhe about. Tension built up inside her. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she opened them with a gasp.

Suddenly, all the tension dissipated, and she felt something flowing from her hand. _Is it blood? _thought Thalia, with horror. She sat up, and looked at them, and gasped loudly. For what she saw was something she could not register immediately. _This is impossible, _she thought.

'Only strong minds can understand this. It would take some mental power to do the feat.' said a voice from her memory.

Thalia lifted her hand, and waved it. She felt scared at first, but for some reason, it turned into ecstasy.

Blue sparks were flowing from her fingers, circling her, and they glowed in the dark like beacons at night.

_Magic, _she thought, jubilant. _I have magic._


	10. A Beautiful Sight

**Hey guys! Sorry, this update is late because I didn't have much time, because it was my birthday on 17th (the worst. birthday. ever.). Anyway, this chapter is written because I've always wanted to go see a comet shower, but I missed the Perseids shower because I could not find a clear patch of sky where I live. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Thalia was staring at her hands in disbelief. She did not understand why this had happened. She willed the blue magic to go back into her hand, but they kept flowing. Thalia tried again, and this time, the sparks stopped jumping out. _I wonder how much magic I have, _she thought. _Never mind now, I need some sleep. _Thalia looked at her hands one more time, and then went to sleep.

Thalia heard an alarm ringing, and she got up slowly. _I slept way too late, _thought the tired girl. She decided to just take a five-minute nap. Then, she remembered her magic, and all weariness fell away. She got up, and did her daily morning routine: brush, take a bath, comb hair, and breakfast. She ran through all these, and quickly stepped outside. She decided not to reveal that she had magic to everyone. Only Artemis would know for now.

She sat at the table, and today, everyone seemed intent on eating their breakfast. The twins were eating their food as quickly as they could, and Artemis was actually eating a substantial meal for once. Thalia sat down next to him, and whispered a 'Good morning', and he wished her back. Mr. and Mrs. Fowl were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" asked Thalia. "Mom and Dad?" asked Artemis, quizzically. Thalia waved the question aside. "That doesn't matter; where are they?" she asked again. "They are walking in the meadows. They'll be back in an hour," replied Artemis. Butler approached Thalia. "What would you like for breakfast, Thalia?" asked Butler. "Uh, what do you have?" asked Thalia. Artemis chuckled. "We have everything, Thalia. Will a sandwich do?" asked Artemis. "A sandwich is fine. Perhaps with some salad," said Thalia.

Butler nodded, and went into the kitchen to make Thalia's order. She looked at what Artemis was having. Thalia almost doubled over. He was having _cereal. Cereal. _With all his money, he was having a bowl of Chocos. "What happened, Artemis? Did you go bankrupt?" asked Thalia, pointing to the bowl. Artemis turned a lovely shade of red. "Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I usually don't stay to eat, so Butler forced me to eat these…flakes of wheat covered with third-grade chocolate and milk." Thalia nodded, suppressing a laugh, and waited for her food.

She decided to tell Artemis about her 'secret talent'. She leaned close to Artemis's ear, and whispered, "Can we talk in your room? It's the most secure room in the house, and I have something important to tell you." Artemis nodded. "I was about to ask you to do the same thing. I also have something I need to discuss," he said. Just then, Holly came down the stairs, all fresh and awake. "Thalia!" she said and waved. Thalia waved back. "Hello, Holly!" she replied.

Holly walked over to her, and asked, "How are you feeling now?" "I'm fine, Holly," she replied. Holly nodded, and sat next to her. Thalia felt nervous. What if Holly could detect magic? It was important that no one knew about her magic till the time was right. She decided to act normal, because Holly was really good at picking out lies, and she could feel others' emotion. "So, Holly, how did you sleep last night?" asked Thalia. "Actually, I slept really well. Yesterday was a full moon, and there was a lot of magic in the air," said Holly. "It was very peaceful." "I see. So you can sense magic?" asked Thalia, carefully. "We can't pinpoint magic, but we can sense the ambient magic, like the average amount of magic in a place." explained Holly.

"Right now, this area is quite magic-dense. Not a surprise, because Tara is close by," she said. "Many fairies must have done the Ritual yesterday." Artemis stood up. "I have finished my breakfast. Are you all done?" asked Artemis. "Well, obviously not, because my food hasn't arrived yet," said Thalia. Artemis looked at her pointedly. "I guess I'm not that hungry after all," she quickly amended. She got up, and walked after Artemis. As she entered his room, she muttered to herself, "Why is it that I always miss my breakfast?"

Artemis heard the comment, and replied, "Perhaps it is because you have more important things to deal with," Thalia jerked back to reality. She sat on a nearby chair, and sat down. She sat very still, and waited for Artemis to start. "Well, what is it?" he asked. Thalia was reluctant to share it right away, so she decided to get an answer she had been denied. "Artemis, what was the important information that you had to tell me?" asked Thalia. "Yes, well, I had been waiting for what you had to say," said Artemis, leaving them at an impasse. "But I want to know first," insisted Thalia. "Very well. I shall tell you," said Artemis.

"I knew that Opal had chosen you for a different reason. She chose you because you possessed something that no one else did. What do you think that 'thing' was?" asked Artemis. _My magic, _realized Thalia, with a shock. Of course, Opal could probably pinpoint magic, as she was a very magical being. She must have sensed her hidden power. She could understand Opal's predicament. She was drained of her magic, the thing which gave her an advantage. She wanted revenge. Who better than Thalia to do the honors for her? She had the intellect, the energy, and most importantly, magic. As she came back to reality, she noticed Artemis's sharp, blue gaze.

"Thalia?" he asked. "Yes?" replied the girl. "Do you know why Opal chose you?" he asked. "Do you know?" asked Thalia, avoiding the question. "I have my theories. But I want the truth. I want it from you," he said. Thalia was quiet. _Should I tell him? _asked one side. _I should_, she decided. Artemis was looking straight into her eyes, but Thalia did not meet them. She silently extended her hand, and let a few sparks dance on her fingers.

Artemis watched with intrigue. _Magic, _he thought. _That is why Opal used her._ He pushed her hand down, and said in a low voice, "Do you think we should tell Holly?" "No. I don't want anyone else to know," said Thalia. Artemis nodded. It made sense. "Are-are you happy?" asked Artemis, suddenly. "Happy?" asked Thalia, confused. "You are an anomaly. You are unique. You are a hybrid. You possess something that almost no other human has. Does that give you joy?" he asked. Thalia did not know how to respond. Of course, she was glad for her magic, but she hadn't even used it yet. "I don't know," said Thalia, nervously clutching her right arm.

"I see." said Artemis. "What was your initial theory?" asked Thalia, changing the subject. "I expected you to have magic. That would explain your sickness, and your 'electric shocks'. Magic is highly attuned to the person's emotions; it tried to surface, but you blocked it. It also explains your nausea; you entered a dwelling." he explained. "What about you, Artemis? Did-did you ever have magic?" asked Thalia. "Not innately, no. I had stolen some magic, during the time travel between Earth and Limbo. I had used it all in a futile attempt to cure my mother," he said. "It did not belong in me. I suffered terrible headaches, and I was forced to chew on motion sickness tablets every time I entered a dwelling." "That's terrible," said Thalia.

They sat there in silence for a few moments. Then, Thalia broke the silence. "Can you call No1? I need to learn a lot about magic," she said. "Good idea. It would be best if we did not meet in person, though, because Holly would find out." he said. "I'll arrange a meeting with him. It won't be very long, but we need to avoid arousing Foaly's suspicions. If word gets out in Haven, they would take you down for questioning, and would detain you. They would probably confine you to a room, under the precedent of you being _mentally unfit._"

"Does Foaly know?" asked Thalia. "To him, it is just a far-fetched theory. I doubt that he will ignore it, though. We have to stop that," he said. Thalia nodded. Artemis paced the room, thinking. Thalia was still sitting down. She gauged the level of magic in her. She felt that she was full of magic, and she felt an aura surrounding her. She willed it to extend, and she felt irritation, anger, and thoughtfulness. She looked up and realized that she could feel Artemis's general feelings. _He must feel angry; he does not have magic, but I do, _she thought.

She decided to keep this to herself. Artemis stopped pacing, and sat down at his table. "So, what did you come up with?" asked Thalia. "I've come up with an alternate theory; one that Foaly will believe, at least for some time," said Artemis. "So, when can I meet No1?" asked Thalia. "I'll try to arrange a meeting today, but I'm not making any promises," said Artemis. Thalia nodded. "Fine then, I'll be in the ballroom," said Thalia, and walked out.

She stepped out, and walked to the ballroom, composing a melody as she walked. She walked in, and sat down by the piano. She played a scale, and tried some chords. She kept the melody in her head, humming to herself as she made the melody. She sat there, composing, putting all her feelings into the song. She felt that it represented the medieval times, when people believed in magic, and were more open to nature. She lost herself in the song, and kept playing.

Myles was walking excitedly to Thalia's room. He had been prepared for this, many weeks in advance. He knocked on her door, but no one opened it. He opened the door, only to see an empty room. He went to Artemis's room, but it was locked. He could hear voices from inside, but it was Artemis talking. It sounded like the voice was coming from the computer, since it sounded hollow. He walked down the stairs, calling out, "Thalia! Thalia! Where are you?" He went into the dining room, but he only found Juliet there.

"Where's Thalia?" asked the boy. "Oh, I think she's the one playing in the ballroom, Myles. See if she's there," said Juliet. Myles nodded. He walked down the corridor to the ballroom. He paused, listening to the music drifting from the room. It was melancholic, but not depressing. He stood at the doorway, waiting for her to finish. Thalia kept playing, not showing any signs of stopping. "Thalia?" called Myles.

Thalia turned. "Oh, Myles! How long were you here?" asked the girl. Myles smiled. He liked Thalia, as she was also interested in the same things as him, but unlike Artemis, she would spend more time with him. He could hardly blame his brother though; he was always busy. "Not very long. I wanted to tell you something," said Myles. "Of course. What is it?" asked Thalia, picking up the little boy. Myles squirmed. He did not like being picked up. "Can you please put me down, Thalia?" he asked, politely. "Oh, sorry," she said, and set him down. Myles smoothed out his shirt, and continued. "A comet shower has been taking place this week. It is brightest today. Would you like to come out and watch?" asked Myles. "A comet shower? Of course! I will definitely be there," promised Thalia. "I'll call Holly and Artemis as well."

Myles agreed. "Thank you," he said, and went to tell his twin the news. Thalia watched as Myles walked off. "It must be nice to have a sibling," she murmured to herself. She decided to stop playing, and go out to explore the grounds.

She walked to the garden, and took the side gate. It led back to the field where they had landed yesterday. She thought of going and practicing in the barn. She slowly walked up the hill, wind in her hair and the sun on her skin. She had not felt this good in a long time. She reached the barn, and opened the door. Immediately, a sandbag came flying at her. She stood, frozen, till her senses came back, and she ducked. "Are you fine?" asked Butler, walking over to her. He was covered in sweat, probably from practicing so much. "I'm fine," she said, still jumpy from the reflex action.

"Next time, knock or call out," said Butler. Thalia nodded. "Why did you come here now?" he asked. "To try and practice," she said. She came in, and saw Juliet at the back, kicking a dummy's head off. "Wow," she said, in awe. "Oh, hey Thalia!" said Juliet, cheerily. "Hello, Juliet. I thought you were with the twins," said Thalia. "No, not now. Mrs. Fowl is taking care of them." she said. "Want to fight?" "I don't think she's ready for that just yet," said Butler.

"I'm not. I just wanted to practice a little bit," said Thalia. "Have you learned any martial arts?" asked Juliet. "Karate," replied Thalia. "Which belt?" asked Juliet, now interested. "Black," said Thalia, softly. "Black?! Why did you never tell me this?" asked Juliet, completely surprised. "Because you are much, much better than me," said Thalia. Juliet walked over to her, and dragged her over. "You are fighting with me. Now. No more discussion." said Juliet. "No, no, I don't want to fight!" said Thalia, wrenching her hand away. "Besides, I'm not properly dressed." she said, quickly.

"That's doesn't matter. I'll get you decked out," said Juliet. Thalia hesitated. If she got hurt now, her magic would heal her, and Thalia did not want anyone else to know about her secret. "I'm sorry, Juliet. Maybe next time," said Thalia. Juliet's face fell. "Fine, but next time, be ready!" said Juliet. Thalia gave her a small smile, and walked out. _That was close, _she thought. She walked back to the garden, and she decided to go into the maze.

As she navigated through the maze, she remembered the many times she had come here, and all the times she had gotten lost. _Not this time, _she thought. She took her phone out of her shirt pocket, and opened an app. She had been carefully studying the maze for a few days, and she made a map for it. She followed it, and got to the heart of it. She sat down, and looked up at the sky. It was turning pink, because of the setting sun. _The sun is setting? _she thought. She looked down at her phone's clock, and realized that she had spent more time than she thought in the ballroom, playing the piano.

She remembered Myles's invitation to watch the comet shower, and she decided to go call Artemis and Holly. She walked out of the maze, and went back into the house. She went up to Artemis's room, but he was not there. She walked back down, and walked to the ballroom. As she had expected, Artemis was at the piano, and he was playing Chopin's Etude, Op.10, No.5. It was odd, because she never expected Artemis to play this piece, because it was way too cheerful, and jumpy. "Artemis?" she called. "Shh," he said, and continued. He kept at it for ten more minutes, and Thalia's patience started to wear thin.

"Are you done?" she asked. Artemis did not reply, but he finished the song. "Yes, I am," he said, and walked over to her. "Did Myles tell you about a comet shower?" asked Thalia. "Yes. I was just about to go ask him about it," said Artemis. "I'm coming as well," said Thalia. "Have you seen a comet shower before?" asked Artemis. "No, I haven't," said Thalia. "It is a beautiful sight, indeed," said Artemis, closing his eyes, visualizing the scene in his mind.

"I'll call Holly," said Thalia. "Fine. I'll meet you in Myles's lab," said Artemis, and walked on to Myles's lab. She had no idea where to find her, but her instincts told her to go to the garden. She went out, and searched, but Holly was nowhere to be found. Thalia waited, and after a few moments, Holly showed up. "You were expecting me?" asked Holly. "I just had a hunch," said Thalia.

She extended her aura, and got feedback that almost pushed her off balance. Holly was literally buzzing with magic. Thalia's vision blurred for a moment, and she stumbled. "Thalia, are you fine?" asked Holly, supporting her. "I'm fine, just lost balance for a second," she said. Holly laughed. "I hope you don't get Artemis's lack of coordination," she joked. Thalia smiled. Then, she remembered what she had come here for. "Holly, there's a comet shower due tonight. Want to come see?" asked Thalia. "Sure. I've heard that they're really beautiful, but I've never seen one," said Holly.

Thalia and Holly walked together to the hall, where Artemis, Butler, Juliet, and the twins were. "What's going on?" asked Holly. "I thought you all were at the lab," said Thalia. "We were, but Beckett came up with a great idea," said Juliet. "We're going camping!" yelled Beckett, excitedly. "Camping?" asked Thalia. She had never tried camping before, and she was confused. "Why?" she asked. "We'll get a better view," said Myles. "It's just a nearby hill," said Juliet. "How near?" asked Thalia. "Oh, just five kilometers away," said Juliet. "That's not very near," noted Holly. "It is, when you've run more than twenty every day for five years," said Juliet.

"Fine. I'll go get my helmet," said Holly. Thalia walked over to Artemis. "Do you know about camping?" whispered Thalia. "Not much. Butler will be taking care of that," replied Artemis. "What should I take?" asked Thalia, to Butler. "Don't take anything. We're just going to be out for a few hours, we'll come back by 2:00," said Butler. "At 2:00?" asked Thalia, surprised. "Yes, the comet shower will be most prominent at 1:00," said Myles. "I see. So, when do we leave?" asked Artemis. "In about five minutes, Arty," said Myles. "I'll get my laptop," said Thalia, and ran up the stairs. She ran into Holly on the way up, and she quickly grabbed her laptop. She ran back down, and stood with the rest of the group. "Ok, Juliet will sleep with Myles and Beckett, Holly and Thalia are together, and Artemis and I will be in the third tent," said Butler.

Holly gave Thalia a wink, and Thalia winked back. As they started to take the things outside, Thalia heard Artemis complaining to Butler, "But the tent is too small for the two of us, Butler." "Do you want to sleep with the girls?" asked Butler. "No," said Artemis, immediately. "Then we're together. No more discussion, Artemis," said Butler. Thalia was carrying a bag filled with bedrolls. "You can help out, you know?" asked Thalia. "Of course," said Artemis, and headed back to the dining hall to help out.

Soon, all the things they needed were loaded, and the car was filled. Artemis sat up front with Butler, and Thalia and Holly were at the back. Juliet and the twins were also with them, and the twins were making a lot of noise. "Reminds me of a family van," said Thalia. "It does. I never knew that the Fowls were such a lively bunch," said Holly. Artemis turned back. "We're a lot of things," he said.

They drove for about half an hour and all of them were talking. Artemis was actually talking to them while smiling all the time. They stopped at a grassy spot, and they unloaded all their supplies. Myles was telling Butler where to position the tents for optimum viewing, and Beckett was running around with Juliet chasing him. Holly, Thalia, and Artemis were talking about all the times Foaly had messed up, and they were laughing. "Poor Foaly; he's always the root of our jokes," said Thalia. "We're always making fun of him." "I know that you make fun of me as well," said Artemis. "I've heard you both talking about me more than once."

"Come on, Artemis. How can we not make fun of those times?" asked Holly.

"What if I told Thalia about your encounter with that swear toad in the tunnels?"

Holly turned red. "You wouldn't dare." Thalia was now curious. "What happened?" she asked. "You'd better shut up, Artemis," warned Holly, glaring at him. Artemis smirked. "Well, you'd better stop making fun of me," said Artemis. "Stupid Mud Boy, always blackmailing me," muttered Holly, as she stomped off.

Thalia was watching all this with an amused look on her face. "You both are hilarious," she said. "I never thought you were one for humor, Artemis." "I am not," he said. "Artemis, please, you crack me up sometimes," said Thalia. They kept discussing this while Butler set everything up. They were soon sitting on mats in the grass, and Butler was passing flashlights around. Holly took hers and made a scary face. Thalia laughed, and she made a scary face of her own. Juliet joined in, and so did the twins. Artemis was bemused by this, and shook his head when his flashlights came to him. "No, thank you; I'd like to keep my dignity," said Artemis.

"Don't be a spoilsport," said Juliet. Artemis refused, and they decided to play something else. Thalia decided to make some s'mores. Butler went to find some sticks, and Thalia, Holly and Artemis went back to the car to get the ingredients. "Don't s'mores stick in your mouth?" asked Artemis. "I don't know; I've never been camping before," said Thalia. They got the crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, and walked back. "I hate marshmallows," said Artemis. "They taste artificial." "I know, but maybe they'll taste better with chocolate," said Thalia.

They soon got a fire going, and they toasted the marshmallows. "Fine, now put them between the crackers, and on top of the chocolate," said Thalia. Juliet carefully put hers, and held it up. "That's great," said Myles, who was having trouble with the marshmallow. Beckett just put the entire thing in his mouth before assembling it. Artemis was skeptically placing his marshmallow on the chocolate, and it started to melt. "Now, eat it!" said Thalia. Juliet ate hers, and her eyes widened. "These are better than I thought," she said, as she savored its taste. Thalia nibbled hers, and licked her lips. "They're awesome," she said. Artemis hesitantly ate his; after all, the last time Thalia had made something, he had regretted eating it.

But, surprisingly, it tasted better than he had expected. "Not perfect, but better than a lettuce sandwich," he said. Holly swallowed hers and said, "I think the chocolate was the best part."

"Me too," said Thalia.

"I thought so!" said Myles

"I know, right?" said Juliet

"Chocolate!" shouted Beckett.

Then, their fire snuffed out. "I'll get it going again," said Butler, and went off to get some more sticks. Artemis glanced at his watch. It said 11:30. They had left at 9:30, and Artemis had not realized that that much time had passed. Then, the sky was illuminated by a streak of bluish white light. "It's started!" exclaimed Myles, looking up. All of them looked up, and a magnificent sight met their eyes. Blue streaks glowed across the sky, some small, some slightly brighter. "It's early," said Artemis. "It's beautiful," said Thalia.

They sat there, watching the scintillating sight. _It's gorgeous, _thought Thalia. The comets looked amazing against the background of the Milky Way. _It's just like a movie, _she thought.

_What an amazing day, _she thought. _I'm really glad I took that second chance. _She glanced at Artemis, who was gazing at the sky intently. _Thank you, Artemis, _she thought. _Thank you very much._

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**Sorry, this chapter's not up to my usual standard. I'm just so irritated, because my b'day was completely ruined. I'll make up for this the next chapter! **

**Thanks,**

**Author1720**


	11. A Vision

**Hello, everybody! This chapter is a lot  shorter than my usual ones, as I did not have a lot of time! I hope it's good enough! Also, I have an acute case of writer's block. Does anyone have good advice on how to deal with it? **

**By the way, I have 27 reviews right now (3:39 pm, 23-Oct-14) and I just know that we can get it up to 35! Cookies to all the reviewers till now! More cookies for future reviewers! Don't forget your three Rs (Read, Review and Rate) and your three Fs (Favorite, Follow and Fan Art)! **

**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

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Thalia was having a particularly good dream, when her eyes decided to open. She sat up, and looked around. They had gone to sleep after one hour of comet watching, and had decided to go back the next day. She opened her tent flap, and got out. Juliet was up, and was stretching. "Hey, Thalia!" said Juliet, as she spotted her. "Hello, Juliet. What are you doing?" asked Thalia. "Warming up," she said, and proceeded to jump up, do a back flip, and land with a split.

"Amazing," said Thalia. Juliet grinned. "That was just grandstanding, wasn't it?" asked Thalia. "A little," replied Juliet. "Where's Butler?" asked Thalia. "He's packing up all our things," said Juliet. "Can I see your moves?"

"No, I'm not nearly as good as you," replied Thalia._ Why am I never good enough? _ thought Thalia. "Come on, Thalia. Just one fight?" asked Juliet. Thalia sighed. "Okay, but only this time," said Thalia. Juliet grinned again, and assumed a fighting stance. Thalia pushed down her growing nervousness, and took a stance as well.

"Let's get this over with," said Thalia, and started. She tried to slap-kick Juliet, but she blocked it easily, and used Thalia's momentum to turn her around. She was about to punch Thalia, when Thalia flipped back, hands on the ground, and went back to her normal position. "Not good? Are you kidding me?" exclaimed Juliet. Thalia smiled, baring her incisors. It looked almost feral. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve," she said, and went back into combat mode. Thalia felt her nervousness fade, and it was replaced with the rush of combat. They fought for some time, both of them not hitting the other, until Juliet caught Thalia's leg and threw her down. She hit the ground with a hard thud, and Juliet heard her groan.

"Are you okay?" asked Juliet. Then, she saw Thalia's foot, and grimaced. It was bent in the wrong direction. "Oww," said Thalia, and doubled over. "I'm sorry; just wait here, I'll go get something," said Juliet, and ran off to the car. Thalia tried to ignore the pain washing over her, but it was hard to pull it off when her vision was red.

Then, blue sparks sprang up and danced over her ankle. "No, no!" she whispered. "Go back!" She forced her magic inside, but it resisted her. _Please, don't heal, _she pleaded silently. She pushed back harder, and the blue magic subsided. Her ankle still hurt, since the magic did not heal it fully.

Juliet came back, carrying a first aid kit. "Here, let me help," she said, and started to put Thalia's leg in a cast. Meanwhile, Holly had woken up and had come out, only to see Thalia on the ground, and Juliet tending to her leg. "What happened?" asked Holly, as she walked over to them. "We were fighting, and Juliet won," said Thalia. "You can fight?" asked Holly, surprised. "Not well enough," replied Thalia.

Butler came back from the car, and stood there. Artemis and the twins followed from behind, and Artemis winced when he saw where Thalia's foot was pointing. In a few minutes, Thalia's foot was in a temporary cast. She tried to stand, but pain flared in her ankle, and she crumpled to the ground.

Holly and Juliet helped her up, and took her to the car. "What happened?" asked Artemis, as soon he was out of earshot. "She was fighting with Juliet, and she was thrown down," said Butler. "She can fight?" asked Artemis, raising an eyebrow. "Much better than you," added Butler. Artemis shot his friend a look. Then, he sighed and walked back to the car, and the twins followed him.

Thalia was sitting at the back with Juliet, Holly and the twins, and Artemis sat in the front with Butler. "And then, Juliet threw her down! Bam!" exclaimed Beckett, reenacting the scene he never saw. Myles, however, was concerned for Thalia. "Are you fine?" he asked. Thalia looked at the little boy affectionately. "I'll be fine before you can say the entire periodic table," she reassured.

They drove quickly as they had to reach home faster. Juliet, Thalia and Holly were talking all through the drive, and at one point, Artemis had to interrupt and tell them to be quieter. "Please talk softly; my ears can't take anymore," he had said. They obliged, but not before Holly could make a face at him. They soon reached the manor, and the two girls helped Thalia get out. Thalia limped to the house, wincing with almost every step. Artemis followed behind, while the twins raced into the house. Butler got out, locked the car, and closed the door after him.

"Where's Mother?" asked Artemis. "She's not here; she went out with your father," said a voice. All of them spun around, and saw No1 standing there. Thalia spun, and fell down. Juliet helped her up, and gave her a chair to sit in.

The little demon hurried towards his friend, and winced. "I'll heal that in a flash," he said, and placed his palm on the cast. Red magic spread itself out on Thalia's ankle like a salve, and started to heal the foot. After the red magic faded away, she tried to stand, tentatively putting her foot on the ground. When she found that it was stable, she stood up, and started to remove the cast. No1 was standing there, in a trance-like state, looking at his palm.

"No1? Why are you here?" asked Holly. The demon snapped out of his trance, and replied, "Qwan told me that I could come and visit, so here I am." Holly went and hugged her friend. "That's really nice of you," she said. Myles was staring at the demon in surprise, and Artemis took Myles to a corner to explain.

"Holly, I'll need your help to rearrange everything," said Juliet, walking towards the door "Sure. I'm coming," said Holly, and followed her. Butler also went after them. Myles walked back to his room, apparently to do some research, and Artemis walked back.

"No1. There is a reason why I called you here," said Artemis. "Oh, you called him?" asked Thalia. "I know that it's risky, but it's the only way." said Artemis. Thalia started, "That's great. No1, I need your help. I-" No1 cut her. "You have magic," he said. Thalia nodded. "I need to know about magic." she said, simply.

No1 nodded. "I'll have to see how much magic you have first," he said. "Not here," warned Artemis. "Let's go to the library." They walked up the stairs, and entered the huge room. "Okay, now I want you to stand right in the middle," said No1. "Here?" asked Thalia, moving to the middle. "A little to the left, yes, that's perfect," said No1, and closed his eyes. The red rune on his forehead started to spin.

"I don't like the looks of this," said Thalia. No1 chanted something and spoke in English, "When I open my eyes, I want you to look straight into them, okay?" "Okay," said Thalia. No1 opened his eyes, and Thalia looked straight into them. They were blood red, and glowing. Artemis stood back, watching with interest. A red tendril of magic extended from the demon, and wrapped itself around Thalia.

Thalia felt like she was in a storm. She was being blown around by a whirlwind of images. _Where am I? _she thought. As she was thrown around, she felt drawn to one of the images. She went closer to it, and it sucked her in.

Right in the center of her vision, was Opal Koboi. Thalia felt her blood boil at the sight of her. Opal was floating three meters off the floor, legs folded in a meditative pose. _Ah, Thalia White. How I long to see you torn apart, _said Opal's voice in her head. _This isn't real, _thought Thalia, fear creeping up her spine. Her anger turned into dread. _Yes, it is, _replied Opal._ In a few days, I shall be restored to my former glory. Then, I will hunt you down and see your tear-streaked face once more before I kill you. I have plans for you, my apprentice. Big plans. _

Thalia walked back, trying to get away. _You don't even know what you are, _said Opal. _How will you resist me then? You are so deluded, Thalia. I will free you from your ignorant existence. Enjoy your days; they will end soon. _Thalia stood there, too shocked to react. Then, a rope of red magic pulled her back, and Thalia came back to the real world.

She was on her knees, gasping for air. She stared at the ground, trying to process what Opal had said. _Was it real, or just a nightmare? _she thought. She felt drained, and weak. Thalia shook her head and tried to stand up. No1 was also on the ground. Artemis hurried over to Thalia. "I'm fine," said Thalia, shakily. "Check on No1," Artemis went over to the demon, but he was already up. "That was strong feedback," he said. "You are a formidable human. You might even be as powerful as me." "What happened?" asked Artemis, for the second time that day.

"I sent Thalia to the thirteenth dimension. I kept a spell on her, just in case she disintegrated," said the demon. "Disintegrated?" asked Thalia, horrified. She was still kneeling on the ground. "Luckily, you didn't turn into ashes. I saw how long she could last. The 13th dimension sucks away at your magic slowly, and painfully. The longer you last, the stronger you are. She lasted for ten minutes, which is quite a feat for a human." explained No1.

"You must be feeling terribly drained right now. Go do the Ritual tonight." advised the demon. "But most importantly, did you have any visions?" "Visions?" asked Thalia, even though she understood what he meant. "I mean, did you see someone or something taking place while you were in the 13th dimension?" asked the little grey creature. "I saw a lot of images, and I felt drawn to one of them," she said.

No1 walked over to her. "Do you mind going out for a while?" asked the demon to Artemis. "Why? I would like to hear what you have to say," countered Artemis. "Please, Artemis." said Thalia. She looked extremely tired, like she had grown a few years older in those ten minutes. They locked eyes, and he saw Thalia silently pleading with him. _I need to know this, _she seemed to say through her eyes. Artemis relented, and nodded. "Fine, I will," he said, and walked out. He walked over to the edge of the staircase, and looked down. He saw Holly and Juliet walking around, keeping things back where they were. He wondered what No1 was telling Thalia.

After a few minutes, Thalia and No1 came out. Thalia looked even more exhausted now. No1 looked nervous, but when he saw Artemis, he smiled. "Can we do something fun now?" asked the demon. "Fun?" asked Artemis. He had not expected this; Thalia and No1 looked serious while they came out, and now they wanted to have fun.

"Why not? Come on, we'll go down to Holly," said Thalia, and climbed down the stairs. Artemis saw through Thalia's feeble cover; she was trying to hide her feelings, but he knew better. Artemis climbed down as well, and stopped Thalia. "What about the Ritual?" asked Artemis, softly.

"I think it's better that I stay empty for a while. I had to force my magic to stop healing me today morning," she whispered. Artemis agreed; it made things easier to hide. "What did No1 tell you? Something about a vision?" asked Artemis. "He said that I should not dwell too much on them; they were false, a way for the 13th to torture you," she said. "What did you see?" asked Artemis, insistent. "I really don't think this is the right time, Artemis," said Thalia, and ran off to Holly's side. Artemis was determined not to give up, but when Thalia decided on something, it was hard to get her to change her mind.

Thalia was trying to stay cheerful, but after what she had just discussed, it was hard to do so. She joked around, and joined in some of the games, but her heart was not in it. The five of them were sitting around a table, and Juliet was trying to convince everyone to play chubby bunny, when the master and mistress of the manor came in.

Angeline Fowl glided into the room, and kissed Artemis, Thalia, and Holly. "How was your comet shower?" she asked. "It was wonderful, Mother," said Artemis. "Well then, let me see what the twins thought," she said, and went off to find them. Artemis Fowl the First came in and was momentarily stunned by the little grey visitor, but he quickly recomposed himself, and asked all of them about their trip.

After half an hour, No1 declared that he had to go back. Holly also got up, and said that she had to get back to Haven. She went up to their room, and started gathering all her gear. Thalia followed her, and said, "It's going to be boring without you." "Are you kidding? When you're with Artemis Fowl, anything can happen," said Holly. Thalia laughed, and hugged her elfin friend, and they went back down.

"Don't worry, I have a little surprise planned for you," said Holly, before leaving. "I'll be waiting," replied Thalia. Everyone said goodbye to the two fairies, even the two parents. Artemis shook Holly's hand. "I'll see you in a few days," he said. Holly rolled her eyes, and waved goodbye. She gave Thalia a playful wink, then buzzed into invisibility. No1 disguised himself as a human boy, and they both went to Tara to catch the next shuttle down.

After Holly left, a wave of sadness swept over Thalia. She looked at Artemis, who was trying to tell Myles and Beckett about how shuttles worked, and felt miserable. The discussion with No1 had left her feeling terrible. She knew that she could not waste her time moping around, but she could not be happy either.

She walked up to Artemis, and said, "Why are we not doing anything to stop Opal?" "We are making efforts. Qwan and No1 are working on a solution right now. Commander Kelp has made this his highest priority, and Opal's cell is heavily guarded. We can't do more than this. If we interrupt now, it could have disastrous consequences." said Artemis. "Even if we guard her, Opal will still get out! She has not wasted her time, Artemis. She has a plan. Either way, she will have the upper hand; she's made sure of that." retorted Thalia.

Artemis turned to her. He had spent the previous night planning, thinking of all the possible scenarios. He was doing a lot of work behind the scenes; work that Thalia never noticed. "What do you think we should do? Do you think you can stop her?" he asked softly, but dangerously. She was pushing him to his limits. He was trying his best to make a plan, but Thalia was not taking it into consideration. "I-I, no, but she will escape. I'm sure of it." she said. "I have tried my best. I am trying my best. Maybe, it's time you stopped worrying about your past and started focusing on the present." snapped Artemis.

"Worrying about my past?" asked Thalia, outraged. "Artemis, my parents died! I have no one left, and I'm trying to cope with it, but you always bring it up! You're the one making it worse for me!" "Well then, why don't you get over it faster? I thought you were a genius," asked Artemis, anger barely contained. "How dare you think that you're the master of the world? You always underestimate me! I'm nothing to you, just a burden. I know what you felt when I told you that I had magic. You were irritated that I had something you didn't. You were jealous of me," shouted Thalia.

"I'm not wasting my time fighting with you. Make your decision, but don't think that I'm not taking this seriously. Opal has affected my life as well. It's not only you who has gone through the entire trauma," said Artemis, icily. "I'll do my part. Find yours, and do it well." he said, and walked out of the room.

Anger washed over her, only to be crushed by guilt. Artemis was arrogant; he did not see Thalia as an equal, but what he had said was true. She had never acknowledged all that Artemis had been doing behind the scenes. She just kept whining about her past, and she did not contribute to stopping Opal, yet she kept saying that Opal would escape. She had not bothered to see the other side of Artemis, and now, he probably would have changed his mind about her.

Thalia walked up to her room, and sat on her bed. She could not spend her time fighting with the only one who looked out for her, as her discussion with No1 had revealed. A sudden fear took over her, and a thought came to her mind.

_I hope it's not true_. _I really do._

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**So, what did you think? I would love to know your opinions! Also, here are some things for all you readers to think about: **

**1) Try and guess what will happen in the next chapter! **

**2) What was the discussion all about? (No1 and Thalia's discussion, that is)**

**3) Do you think I've portrayed Artemis, Holly, Juliet, Butler, Myles and Angeline Fowl well enough? Just the other day, a person (I won't say who) told me that my portrayal of Holly was a little skewed. What do you think?**

**Leave reviews!**

**Thanks,**

**Author1720**


	12. An Ominous Tale

**Hello, guys! Sorry, I'm late with this update because of a million other things happening right now, like tests, scripts for class plays, quizzes, et cetera. But you all aren't here to hear my excuses, so, here's Chapter 12! **

**P.S- Reviews, please! Cookies to autospamfighter, flymetothemoon77, and my best friend! (Sorry, I just LOVE cookies, and so does CedarNyx, but that's an inside joke.)**

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Thalia was sitting on her bed, hoping that what No1 had said wasn't true. She was blankly staring off into space, when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she said. Juliet popped her head in. "Aren't you coming for dinner?" she asked. "I'll be there in a minute," said Thalia, and got up. She had no desire to go back and see Artemis, but she _was _hungry.

Thalia quickly climbed down the stairs, and headed for the dining room. "Sorry for being late," she muttered, and sat down on the free chair. Sadly, it was the one right next to Artemis. She tried to keep herself as far away from him as she could. One part of her mind chided her for doing so, while the other side asked her to get up and smash something in his face. She pushed down the rebellious side, and reached out to get a bread bun.

Artemis reached out at the same time, and they both quickly withdrew their hands. They both waited for the other to take a bun, and Artemis muttered, "You first." Thalia hastily took a bun, and looked down. _I don't need you to tell me what to do, _she thought, angrily. Artemis the First was watching this intently, and whispered something in his wife's ear. She nodded, and asked, "Why are you both not talking?" Thalia quickly glanced at Artemis, but he looked away just as fast. "It's nothing, Mother. We're tired." he said. Angeline laughed. "Oh dear, someone has been fighting," she said. "We weren't fighting, Mom," protested Thalia.

"I know a fight when I see one, darling. What happened?" she asked. No one said anything; all eyes were on them. Artemis got up, and cleared his throat. "I'll be in my room," he said, and almost ran to the stairs. Angeline looked at Thalia. "I, uh, just take this bun up to my room," she said, and walked back fast. Juliet smiled, and told Butler, "Does this remind you of anything?" Butler smiled. "Of course. Your silly fights with me about how I never let you win," he said. "It wasn't silly; you were too hard on me," said Juliet, pouting. "Come off it, Juliet," said Butler, and Juliet elbowed him.

"I'll go talk to Thalia," offered Juliet. "Yes, please do," said Angeline, and resumed eating. Juliet walked back up to Thalia's room again, and knocked. "Don't bother trying to talk it out," said a muffled voice from inside. "Oh, come on. You had some silly fight with him, and now you both aren't talking. Is that all?" asked Juliet. "It isn't silly." said Thalia. Juliet almost laughed. That was the exact line she had used earlier. "Seriously? I'm coming in," she said, and walked in. Thalia was sitting on her bed, and pillows were strewn on the bed. "Wow, some tantrum you've thrown," said Juliet, teasingly. Thalia did not smile; she looked even angrier.

"What were you even fighting about?" asked Juliet. "Nothing. Nothing serious," lied Thalia. "I can tell that it's hit you pretty hard," said Juliet. "How?" asked Thalia. "You're no good at emotions, Thalia. Your face reflects your mood well," she said. "Urgh," said Thalia, and tossed a pillow across the room. It hit and wall and slumped down. "Calm down, Thalia." said Juliet. _Calm down? Calm down?! And bow down to that condescending, smug, little boy? _ thought Thalia, furiously. "Can I please be alone?" asked Thalia, coldly. Juliet got up. She had also spent many hours in her room, throwing tantrums. "You know, you don't have to carry all this weight yourself. Sometimes, a friend can really help," she said. "If you change your mind, call me." Juliet closed the door softly behind her, leaving Thalia alone with her thoughts.

Her anger just kept getting more intense, so she decided to go to sleep. She gathered all the pillows, and made the bed. She tucked herself in, and reached out for the switch near her bed. She switched off the lights, and tried to sleep.

It was really quiet in her room, and she could hear what Artemis was saying in his room. "I know. I lost control," he said. "Well, apologize to her then," said another voice. It sounded like Holly. _Asking her for advice? Well, maybe if you apologize first, I might think of forgiving you, _thought Thalia. "I will not. She has been ignorant. Let her apologize first," said Artemis. "You both have such inflated egos! She's not going to say sorry. You have to take the first step." insisted Holly. "Fine. I'll talk to her tomorrow," said Artemis. There was no more sound from his room. Thalia sighed, and went to sleep, eager to get her apology tomorrow.

The next day, Thalia woke up earlier than normal. She quickly flew through her routine, and stepped out. She walked out into the garden, and sat down in the grass. She thought about what she had heard yesterday. A feeling of shame took over her. _I was wrong, too. It's not he who should apologize first. _Thalia felt that the fight was indeed, to use Juliet's words, _silly, _as she could not afford to lose Artemis's trust. She sat there, looking out into the distance, when she heard the grass rustling behind her. She turned, and Artemis was standing there. Thalia quickly got up, and nervously twirled a strand of her hair.

"I'm sorry," blurted Thalia, before Artemis could open his mouth. Artemis opened his mouth, and blinked in surprise, and closed his mouth. "Oh, I-uh," said Artemis, awkwardly. _Why did I say uh? That's not even a word, _thought Artemis. "I heard everything. Holly was right. I do have an inflated ego. I'm really sorry," said Thalia, and shifted her foot. Artemis went slightly red. "I see….I'll, um, be going now," he said, and walked off. Thalia almost laughed. Artemis was so flustered; he could hardly make a sentence. _Poor boy, _she thought. _It must feel terrible to find out that someone was listening to you confessing that you did something wrong. _

Artemis was walking rather quickly. He walked up to his room, and sat at his table. _Why couldn't I construct a coherent sentence?, _he thought. _She overheard my discussion with Holly. I must make the walls soundproof. _

Thalia felt much better now that the apology was put aside. She still sat down, feeling the cool breeze play across her skin. She walked around for some time, and then she sat near a little water fountain. She started humming a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her. Then, someone tapped her on her shoulder. She turned again, and saw Juliet. "Butler's calling you," she said, and gestured to her to follow. "What happened?" asked Thalia. "You need to train," she said, simply. "Okay," said Thalia, and followed her.

They walked up to the barn, and Juliet opened the door. Thalia laughed at the sight she saw inside. Butler was holding up a big punching pad, and Artemis was trying to punch it, but he either missed or his fist bounced off the material easily. Artemis heard Thalia laugh, and turned around. "Very funny, Thalia. Why don't you try?" he asked. "Sure," said Thalia. She walked up, and readied herself. Then, she put all her power into her fist and punched. It didn't make Butler stumble, or make the pad fall out of his hands, but it wasn't weak.

"Good, but can improve," said Butler. "At least it's better than what I've been dealing with." Artemis glared at Butler, and Thalia grinned. Butler thought for a while, and clapped his hands to get their attention. "Artemis, time to fight. Your opponent is Thalia." he announced. "I'm going to enjoy this," said Thalia, and took a stance. "Butler, please. I've been humiliated enough for a day," protested Artemis. "Artemis, you need to know how to defend yourself. Now, no more questions." said Butler, and got ready. "Begin!" he shouted. Thalia immediately kicked Artemis. He fell back, gasping. Thalia went to help him up, but Butler stopped her. "He'll get back on his feet," he said. Thalia backed up, and got ready to defend. Artemis got up, and took a defensive pose. Both of them circled, looking at each other. "Oh, come on. This is so boring," said Juliet, mocking a yawn.

Thalia moved forward, and aimed a punch at Artemis. He blocked it feebly, and punched back. Thalia easily blocked it, and double-punched him. Artemis stumbled again, and this time, he shook his head. "Please, no more," he said, lifting up a hand in defeat. Butler sighed. "Fine. The fight's over." he said. "Thank you," gasped Artemis, sitting down. Thalia sat down too, and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be hard on you." "It's fine; just use a little less power next time," replied Artemis.

Artemis went off into a room in the side, and after a few minutes, he emerged, wearing what Thalia could vaguely place as riding clothes. They all trooped out of the barn, and Butler announced, "We're riding next," "Riding? Riding what?" asked Thalia. "Horses, of course," said Artemis. "But I don't know how to ride horses," said Thalia. "Don't worry; I'll teach you," said Butler. They walked to the back of the huge backyard, and reached the stables. When they went in, Thalia gasped. "They're beautiful!" she exclaimed, softly.

Artemis gestured to one of them, with a black mane and black coat, and said, "These are the Fowl Arabians. This is my horse, Trinity." Thalia walked over to it, and stood next to it. "Hello, Trinity!" she said. "You can touch her if you like," offered Artemis. Thalia lifted her hand, and it hovered over the horse's back. "Where-" started Thalia. Artemis took her hand and put it next to the horse's mane. "She likes being stroked," he informed.

Thalia stroked her mane, and the horse nickered. Thalia stepped back, and Artemis smiled. "It's fine; she likes it," he assured. Thalia stroked her again, and Trinity turned her head. Thalia quickly took her hand away. "Don't make any sudden movements, or raise your voice. Just be calm around her," said Artemis. "You have never been around a horse, have you?" "Never," replied Thalia. "We'll see what we can do about that," he said, and walked over to it. He took a brush from the wall, and started to groom her. Thalia slowly walked out, and bumped into Butler. "Come, I'll teach you how to handle a horse," he said, and led Thalia into a stall. Artemis finished grooming his horse, and he tacked her up. Then, he led her out, and mounted her.

He rode out slowly, and as he rode, he saw Thalia and Butler outside, and Butler was trying to convince Thalia to go near the horse, but Thalia kept backing away. He laughed lightly; he'd never imagined that she would be afraid of horses. His mind wandered to the plan he had piecing together over the past few weeks. Thalia had seen something that made her sure that Opal was about to break out, but he could not think of a way of knowing what she had seen. Unless….

Artemis rode back to the stables, and led Trinity inside. Trinity whinnied, and then looked at Artemis reproachfully. "I'll ride tomorrow," he told the horse, and slipped out. He briskly walked back to the manor and walked up to his room. He powered up his laptop, and called Foaly. Foaly accepted the call. "Why call me?" he asked straight away.

"Can I get a line to No1?" asked Artemis, impatiently. "Of course. Just make me do all the work, right? No one calls me to say hello," he said, and worked on a keyboard on the side. "A secure and private line, please," said Artemis. "I have to monitor your conversations," countered Foaly. "Think of this as a deal. You get me this line, and I promise that I won't hack into your computer," said Artemis. "As long as you keep up your end of the deal," said Foaly. "I'll give you benefit of the doubt." "Thank you," said Artemis. He waited for No1 to answer.

In a few seconds, his face popped up on the screen. Artemis quickly checked if the connection was secure, and sure enough, there was a little bug listening in. "Will you never learn, Foaly?" asked Artemis, and disabled the bug. "Hello, Artemis!" said the demon. "No1. You have to answer my question honestly." said Artemis. "Hmmm. Is this about Thalia?" asked No1. "Yes," replied Artemis. "I can't, Artemis. I promised her." said No1. "I can help her. I need to know this to stop Opal," insisted Artemis. No1 hesitated for a while, and then asked, "You will help her, won't you?"

"I promise."

"Okay," agreed the demon.

No1 started telling Artemis about what had happened, and he listened with utmost attention. As he spoke, pieces of his plan started to come together, and it started to form a rough image. Artemis did not like what had happened, but he knew one thing for sure.

_One of us is going to have to make a sacrifice. I don't want to know who._

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**And we end on a ominous note...(actually that's a pretty_ lame _ominous note...just terrible.)**

**But, life goes on, and so does a story! Also, I'm thinking of doing NaNoWriMo, and updates might be irregular (and short). Anyway, stay tuned, and cookies!**

**Author1720**

**Update(04-Nov-14)-No reviews? Who do I give these chocolate chip cookies to? *sniff sniff* *sadly nibbles on a sad cookie***

**Update(07-Nov-14)-So far, only 1 reviewer. Here's a cookie for you. **

**I'm still sad; my room is full of cookies, and they're all sad. Very, very sad. Please, review and take the cookies to your happy homes...**

**Update(08-Nov-14)-It's fine, I've eaten all the cookies by myself. Go ahead and read the next chapter, and cookies are still available there!**


	13. The Plan Is Unveiled

**Hello, guys. Here's Chapter 13. I got just a review from one guest reader, so thank you, mysterious guest reader. I'm pretty sad about the last chapter, but I'm sure you guys will make up for that in this one. Right? Right? _Right? _Yes, of course! **

**So, here it is! Have fun reading!**

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Thalia woke up late the next day. _I stayed up much too late, _she thought sleepily. She had been discussing the plan with Artemis. It was quite depressing, as they had to deal with every possible scenario before they actually faced Opal. They had formed a theory, which would solely rely on Thalia being able to manipulate her magic well enough. As a result, she had to reveal that she had magic, to everyone. Thalia took a deep breath. _This is not going to be easy. _

She walked to Artemis's room, and knocked. The door opened, and a slightly ruffled Artemis showed her in. "Didn't get much sleep, right?" she asked, sleepily. "We slept at 3:00 in the morning, Thalia. I don't think that _anyone _would be quite so chipper in that situation," replied Artemis. "Your hair," said Thalia, pointing to his hair. "Sorry, I didn't have much time," said Artemis, and smoothed back his hair. "Maybe just leave it in the front, like that?" said Thalia, combing his hair to the front with her fingers, and parting it at the side. Artemis looked like a typical schoolboy, all orderly and neat. "Please, just leave my hair to me; this look hardly suits a criminal mastermind," he said, slightly annoyed.

"Criminal mastermind," scoffed Thalia. "I could steal your phone, and you wouldn't even notice." Artemis rolled his eyes. "I might not, but Butler will. We have to go down to Haven now. A shuttle will be coming in about an hour. You have half an hour to prepare," said Artemis. "Fine, I'll get ready fast," said Thalia, stepping out. "Artemis, what do you think the others will say?" she asked, suddenly. Artemis turned. "We'll have to wait and see," he said, enigmatically, and closed the door behind her.

Thalia sighed, and went to her room. She took a quick shower, and dressed up. While she was tying her hair, Artemis came in. "May I?" he asked. "Sure," said Thalia. "You do realize that only we both know the entire plan, yes?" said Artemis. "Of course," said Thalia, opening the drawer to take a hairband. She quickly tied it into a ponytail, and turned. "Artemis, I don't like this, not one bit." she said. Artemis looked at her. She was scared, scared to lose anyone. Scared to face Opal. Scared to lose…him.

Artemis felt a strange compulsion to get up and comfort Thalia. He got up and walked to her. "It'll be fine. We've survived so far; we can make it through," he said, holding her hand. Thalia's eyes teared up. "I hope so, Artemis. I hope so," said Thalia, softly. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, and Artemis cleared his throat. "So, um, the shuttle will come soon," he said, and stepped out. _I really need to stop with the slang words, _he thought. "Oh, Artemis," said Thalia, to herself. "Why are you afraid to show care for others?"

She took her laptop, and walked down, when she remembered what Holly had said. _Don't worry, I have a little surprise planned for you, _she had said. _I'll be waiting, _Thalia had replied. "A surprise," thought Thalia to herself. "I wonder if Holly remembers it." She reached the hall, and found no one there. She walked to the porch, and saw Butler. "Get in, we're leaving," he said. Thalia nodded, and got in. This time, Artemis was sitting at the back, a glass of clear yellow liquid in his hands.

"Wine?" asked Thalia, raising her eyebrows. "No, just normal water, with a tinge of apple. Would you like some?" asked Artemis. "No thanks," said Thalia. They drove quickly to Tara, with little conversation. They got down to the shuttle port, and saw a pilot waiting for them. He shivered slightly at the sight of Butler. "I was told to expect a Mud Boy and a Mud Girl, not a mountain," he said in a quivering voice. "Get us down," growled Butler. The pilot nodded, and ushered them in. They were soon shooting down a chute, toward the center of the Earth. Thalia was sitting next to Artemis, and she was a little green. "How much more time?" she asked. "About an hour. Do you need help?" asked Artemis. "No, I'm fine," she said. She had done the Ritual last night, and she was full of magic. Artemis nodded, and turned back to the front. They soon reached Haven, and the pilot was more than eager to see them leave. "Thank Frond I wasn't eaten," he said to himself. This elf would soon rise to fame, his claim being that he was the only one brave enough to escort the Mud People down to Haven.

Artemis, Thalia, and Butler met with Holly at the port's entrance, and Thalia hugged her friend. "Holly," she said. Holly hugged her back, and looked at her mock-disappointingly. "I leave, and you both get into a fight. What you would do without me," she said. Thalia glared at her, but she was smiling. "Come on, let's go," said Holly, and led them to Police Plaza. "This is the first time I'm going to see Police Plaza," said Thalia. "I can't wait to see Foaly's office." "More like his invincible, high-tech, laser shooting booth," said Holly, laughing.

They reached Police Plaza, and they went into Foaly's Operations Booth. "This is some serious tech," said Thalia. Foaly turned. "Ah, finally, I have the pleasure of meeting Thalia in person," he said, and winked at her. "At least in a sane state." he added. "Nice to meet you, too," said Thalia. "You're part horse?" she asked. "What do you think centaur means?" asked Foaly, half offended. "I don't like horses, much," said Thalia. "He won't kick; he's mellow," said Holly. "At least when Mulch Diggums isn't here."

"Yes, the dwarf friend of yours," said Thalia. "I've not seen him either." "Better not," said Foaly. "He stinks worse than a pile of rotten stink worms mixed in troll dung." He paused, and then added, "Actually, he smells exactly like that." "Enough of this; we have business to attend to," reminded Artemis. "Yes, please, brief us." said Holly. Artemis looked at Thalia, and she slowly walked up to him. "Well, we all know that Opal is about to break out." she started. The atmosphere changed immediately, and became darker. At that very moment, Trouble Kelp stormed into the room. "Have you started?" he asked, and then saw Thalia. "The Mud Girl and Fowl? Something tells me that what I'm about to hear isn't good," he said.

He stood in the corner opposite to Butler, and listened. Thalia continued. "Opal will break out in a few days. We need to make sure that she has no avenue of damaging anything. She is gathering power, as I and Artemis have found out. Fairy technology stands no chance against the dark magic she is gathering." She took a deep breath, and said, "We need to fight magic with magic. Holly, would be so kind as to hold out your Neutrino?" Holly stood up, and took her gun out of its holster. She held it, waiting for the next action. Everyone was filled with anticipation. _Very melodramatic, _thought Artemis. _Just like what I would do. _

Thalia closed her eyes, and concentrated. Blue sparks shot up, and swirled up her arms. It gathered into a pentagon, and Thalia opened her eyes. They glowed pure blue, and the pentagon shot towards the gun. The gun crumpled, and its battery display went from green to yellow to red. Its green glow died, and it became a useless piece of metal in Holly's hands. "How-how-what?" exclaimed Holly. "Magic!" burst Trouble Kelp. "The last thing we need is a Mud Man with magic!" Thalia interrupted him. "Please, Commander, this is the only way! The fate of the world is at stake here! Surely, you can't be worried about this!" she said. "Thalia, why didn't you tell me?" asked Holly. "I'm sorry, Holly. I could not tell you then; you would be obliged to bring me down here for questioning," she said. "I knew it. I knew it all along." said Foaly. "I threw you off-course, Foaly. Admit it." said Artemis. "Maybe slightly. But you can't hide anything from me forever," countered the centaur. "So, what is your plan, Thalia?" asked Holly, concern now in her eyes. "It is risky, but it should be enough." said Thalia.

Artemis took center stage, and unraveled his master plan. He did not tell everything, just the generic idea. "I'll tell you all what you need to know specifically later," he said. "Later? Fowl, as the Mud Girl said-" Thalia interrupted. "I have a name, and it is Thalia." she said, looking cross. "I couldn't care less, girl. The fate of the world is at stake! I cannot let you conduct everything. This is Koboi we are talking about; something will go wrong." said the commander. "Commander, you of all people must know the importance of tactics. Not everyone can know everything; only the genius can," said Artemis. "Genii," reminded Thalia.

"We need to keep a warlock on watch at all times. No1, Qwan, and Thalia can alternate. We also need visuals." said Artemis. "Done," said Foaly. "In the event that Opal breaks out, she will head straight for Thalia's flat at New York. That place has a lot of residual magic." continued Artemis. "When we went there, I stopped at Thalia's table. While I was pretending to read a few programs, I was gauging the level of magic. My person has changed ever since I had stolen magic in the time stream. I could sense the magic in an area, just like fairies. It will provide Opal a chance to seal her magic. She will be leaking magic at a rapid rate unless she gets her hand on some of her old magic." he said.

"She will probably use the magic to break out of prison. The dark magic is sort of like a vacuum; it sucks magic from the surroundings into the host, draining the others. Only a warlock could stand up to that. So, Holly will be at a disadvantage, as her magic will be rendered useless. Dark magic is not kind to the host; it will kill it, slowly, but surely. Opal has traded her life for this, but I'm sure she has a plan. Something to do with magic and life forces. We need to do more research on this topic." said Thalia. Foaly was busy at his desk, looking at the display from Opal's cell. Holly was pacing, not believing that Opal would break out. Trouble Kelp was silent for the first time in his career.

"Our objective for now is to reduce, or if possible, wipe out the residual magic at Thalia's old flat. There will also be fainter traces of magic wherever Opal has influenced heavily. Koboi Laboratories, Argon's clinic, and Opal's stealth shuttle. The most difficult of these will be the time stream. We have to reverse it in the past, and the present. The consequences of this need to be investigated further before it is to be done." said Artemis. "Qwan is on it; he's the leading expert on time travel, and No1 is now being taken to Atlantis," informed Foaly from his desk.

The commander walked over to Foaly, and started discussing. Artemis and Butler talked in hushed tones, as Artemis gave Butler his instructions. Holly walked to Thalia, and asked her, "So, the magic I felt the other day was your magic, wasn't it?" "It was." she said. "I understand. I-Artemis did the same thing, and that upset me a lot. I was just reminded of that," said Holly. "I will never lie to you again, Holly. You have my word," said Thalia. Holly smiled. "Don't you want your surprise?" she asked. Thalia's eyes gleamed. "I've been waiting," she said.

"I've organized a tour around Haven, just the two of us. No annoying boys," said Holly. "No annoying boys," giggled Thalia. "Sure, I'm all set." "I just feel this is all out of place, though. While Opal is about to break out, we're walking around, enjoying," admitted Holly. "If we don't loosen up sometimes, we might break. A piece of rubber bends when you apply force, but a brittle rock breaks. I prefer staying whole," said Thalia. "Nice analogy," said Holly. "I think I need to loosen up as well." Artemis walked over to Thalia, and asked for a moment. "I'll be back," said Thalia, and followed Artemis out of the Ops Booth. "Thalia, I thought of what you said earlier. I could not think of losing Holly, you or Butler. So, I-I just wanted to give you this," said Artemis, and took out a little chain with a heart pendant from his pocket.

"Once, you had seen my mother's necklace, and you had told me that you would like to have something like it. So, I had one made for you." He gave her the delicate silver chain, and she clasped it on. "It has a little invention of mine in it," said Artemis, and tapped the silver and gold heart pendant. It projected a holographic screen into the air. Artemis held his ring up to his face, and the very same image appeared on the screen. "Amazing. What is its range?" asked Thalia. "It works up to 1 light year in any direction," said Artemis, with a smirk. "One light year?! How exactly does this thing broadcast?" asked Thalia, in surprise.

"No time for that now, Thalia. Holly also has an identical chain. I think this will help us a lot," said Artemis. "It will. Thank you, Artemis." said Thalia. "Artemis, I just want to know, that whatever happens, I am very grateful to you. I was-I was about to do something terrible before you stepped in. I-I was planning to run away; I hoped to die, just die, somehow. I lost everything, and I didn't want to live anymore," said Thalia, her voice breaking. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, and hugged Artemis. He could feel her tears seep through his shirt, warm against his cold skin. She sobbed, and Artemis held her in his arms.

"It'll be fine, Thalia. I promise you."

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**Soooooo, what did you think? Tell me in the reviews! Those cute, little, delectable, decadent, delicious, melt-in-the-mouth, chocolate chip cookies are waiting to be eaten! (That's code for 'please review!', by the way.)**

**My chapters are getting shorter, and they're making me sad. I'll try to write longer ones. I'll keep a minimum limit of 3000 words for the next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Author1720**


	14. Bad Tidings

**Hello, guys. I'm really sorry for being late, but I had a script to write for a class play, and I had to go to a book fair, and my grandmother died. :( It's been a bad week, and on top of it, I got writer's block. So, yeah, just enjoy this chapter.**

**This chapter is dedicated to all those people who have supported my so far in my story by taking time to review:**

**flymetothemoon77**

**My best friend, who I shall refer to from now as Nino, just because I like that name. (Her name's not actually Nino, it's a character from an awesome game series called Fire Emblem!)**

**Sistersgrimmfan**

**Elementals4ever, who wanted Thalia and Artemis to get together, but some things are not meant to be.**

**nerdling number1**

**autospamfighter**

**DaBoss**

**QueenDiv**

**Kellycat77, who gave me a story to look out for. (What is up with usernames and the number 77?)**

**All the guests who reviewed, but whose names I sadly do not know.**

**Thank you for your continued support! Cookies for all of you! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) **

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Thalia stepped away from Artemis. She looked up, and saw something glimmer in Artemis's eye. "Are-are you crying?" asked Thalia, confused. Artemis blinked quickly, and resumed his normal, bland expression. "No, I was not. You must have been mistaken, Thalia." replied Artemis. "Thalia? Are you coming?" called Holly, from inside the Ops Booth. Thalia turned back. "Yes, Holly, give me a moment," replied Thalia. "Where are you going?" asked Artemis. "We're going around Haven; and sorry, no annoying Mud Boys allowed," replied Thalia, grinning, and walked away. _Ah, Thalia, you're still behaving like a child, _thought Artemis.

Holly came out, spinning a set of keys around her finger. "So, shall we leave?" she asked, as they walked down to the parking lot. "You drive?" asked Thalia. "Of course I do! Where is your head, Thalia? I thought you were supposed to be a genius?" said Holly. "I am," said Thalia, straightening her collar. "You just can't comprehend it." Holly rolled her eyes. Did all geniuses have inflated egos? "And by the way, the plural of genius is genii, not geniuses," said Thalia. Holly turned around. "Don't tell me you read minds," she groaned. "I don't," said Thalia, simply. "You just thought what the average person would think, and I simply guessed." "I never should have doubted you," said Holly, sarcastically, as she opened the car doors, and got in. Thalia shrugged, and sat in the front. "What can I say? People are scared of people with a higher intellect than them," said Thalia, matter-of-factly.

"Anyway, this seat is kind of…small," said Thalia. "Press that blue button there," said Holly, as she slid the key into a hole. Thalia pushed it, and the seat grew in size, and the roof of the car lifted up, and slid to the back, like a convertible with the top down.

Holly's hands hovered over the glowing blue pad in front of her. Driving a car was easy, as she just had to move her hands in the direction she wanted the car to move, but today, she wanted to talk to Thalia. "Code 9432, Holly Short," said Holly, activating the auto-drive option. "Hello, Holly. Strap yourself in, it's a quick ride, not much traffic today," said the computer, displaying a video of Lili Frond, an elf that Holly really hated. "No, no fast driving today. Stick to civilian regulations. Take us to _Le Diamant Elfe_," said Holly.

"The elf diamond? Who sells diamonds in Haven?" asked Thalia. "It's not a jeweler's shop, it's a restaurant. The best in all of Haven," said Holly, as the car drove out of the parking. "By the way, when did you learn French?" "I know almost as many languages Artemis knows. The only one language that he knows, but I don't, is Irish," said Thalia. "But I thought you were Irish," said Holly. "I am, but my family never spoke Irish, and I never learnt Irish in school. So, I don't speak it. I do, however, speak a weird little language called Hindi. It is quite different. As far as I know, Artemis has no idea how to speak this," said Thalia. "Hmm, I might know this language. Just say a sentence," said Holly. "No way. I hate that language. By the way, I thought we were out here to enjoy. I don't want to go to a restaurant. Why don't we go to your place?" asked Thalia. "Fine, then. Take us home," said Holly, and the car took a sharp turn, and almost swiveled off the magnetic strip. "Whoa! Easy, car, easy!" said Thalia.

"It's fine. Anyway, Thalia, what is your plan?" asked Holly. "I can't tell you everything, Holly. Opal could get the truth out of you," said Thalia. "Thalia, I can tell by your face that there's something in here that I won't like," said Holly. "You and Artemis are the same. You both hold the genius card to your chest, and play it at the very last moment. That comes at a costly price," said Holly, slowly. "Thalia, please. Don't make the same mistakes that Artemis did," said Holly, almost in a pleading voice. The car turned over to an older part of the strip, and suddenly, it stopped.

"What happened?" asked Thalia. "I'll check," said Holly and stepped out to check the strip, and she went to the back of the car. After a while, Thalia asked, "What happened, Holly?" There was no reply. Thalia's senses were on edge. "Holly?" she asked, slowly. She quietly stepped out, and went to the back. Holly was knocked out on the ground. "Holly!" shouted Thalia, and went to her aid. "You ain't waking her up, girlie," said a voice. Thalia whipped around, and saw a short pixie standing there with a Neutrino. His eyes glinted maliciously. One eye was bright yellow. "Who are you?" asked Thalia.

"You don't need to know nothing, Mud Girl. Just come quietly, and nothing will happen to that elf," said the pixie. _It's a male, _thought Thalia. _I need to buy me some time, till I can gather some magic. _Thalia burst into tears at that moment. "Oh-oh, I k-knew it! Y-you want to k-kill me, right? I can never g-give t-this t-to O-Opal, and she'll k-kill you t-too!" she said, in a sobbing voice. The pixie flinched. "Wh-what do you have to give to her?" asked the pixie, uncertainly. This gave Thalia enough time to summon a burning hot ball of fire. "This," she said, and shot a blue fireball at the pixie. The pixie's eyes widened and he fell to the ground, his face burning. "Aaaah!" screamed the pixie. "Now, you never met me, we never talked," said Thalia, and waved her hand. A layer of ice, 2 inches thick, covered the pixie. Thalia opened her palms, and a blue orb floated up from the pixie. "Dissipate, and never return," said Thalia. "Obliviate." The orb disappeared, and Thalia rushed to Holly's side. Holly was slowly coming around.

She suddenly stood up, and punched Thalia. Thalia fell down, and held her hands up. "It's me!" she said. "A pixie, he knocked me out!" said Holly, and then saw the block of ice. "Did you do that?" asked Holly, incredulously. "Seems like my magic has more to it than I thought," she said. "Also, I erased his memory. More importantly, that was one of Opal's gunmen. They're hunting us down. Opal probably wants us before her when she breaks out. We have to get back to Police Plaza fast." said Thalia. "My car's useless now that the strip has failed. We'll have to run," said Holly. "No, wait. I've been trying a new trick. Can you share your magic?" asked Thalia. Holly nodded, and tilted her head. Blue sparks shot up, and Holly held Thalia's hand. "Uh, what are you going to do?" asked Holly, suddenly.

Thalia just squeezed her hand, and suddenly, they were shooting down a hole. Then, in a nanosecond, they were just outside Police Plaza. "Wh-what was that?" asked Holly, who was dizzy after the sudden drop. "Thalia?" She looked over and saw that Thalia was on all fours. "S-so dizzy," she said. Then, she shook her head, and stood up. "I'm fine now. To answer your question, I just shot us down a portal through space-time." Holly got over the dizziness, and asked, "How did you get over your dizziness so fast?" "Magic is a wonderful thing. Now, we have to tell the commander about this." said Thalia, and dragged Holly to the Ops Booth. "Commander!" shouted Thalia. Trouble Kelp turned, and snarled. "What is it?" he asked, impatiently. "We were attacked just a few moments ago, by a pixie who apparently worked for Opal." said Thalia. "What?" exclaimed the commander.

"What happened, Thalia?" asked Artemis, and Thalia relayed the short story. "You did melt him, right?" asked Butler. "He'll thaw soon, but that's not the point! Opal has forces ready; she might attack someone!" said Thalia. "No, she won't. She only wants us. She would not risk everyone knowing. As long as we don't split up, we should be fine," said Artemis. "Still, we had best knock them out." Foaly nodded. "What did the pixie look like?" asked Foaly. "He looked like…..a pixie. But, yes, he had a yellow eye," said Thalia. "I knew it. This is just a little warning from Opal. The yellow eyed pixies are Opal's creations. They aren't real, that is, they're not alive. They're like mindless zombies. Luckily, every one of those freaks have a Sleeper Seeker in them." said Foaly. "Night, night." Foaly pressed a button, and unknown to them, thousands of yellow eyed pixies collapsed at the outskirts of the city.

"I think that it's better that we all go out together," said Butler. "Yes. You both can go where you want, provided that you take Butler with you," said Artemis. "Artemis," said Butler, not wanting to comply. "I'll be fine. I'm in Foaly's indestructible booth, remember?" said Artemis. No one laughed. "That was not funny, Artemis. What if Opal has something else up her sleeve?" asked Butler. "She does not. I'm sure of it." he said. "How sure?" asked Thalia. "A hundred percent," said Artemis.

"Fine," said Thalia, and walked out. "Wait. You just walk off like that?" asked Holly. "I trust Artemis. He never fails," she said, simply. Artemis noticed the message she conveyed through her eyes. _Don't fail me, Artemis, _she seemed to say. Holly followed Thalia, and Butler looked at Artemis, and then went out as well. "Well, Foaly, Thalia's cleverly gotten them out of the way," said Artemis. "So, this trip thing was a ruse? I should've known," said Foaly. "Let us get to business. Now, Foaly, there are a few things you need to know…"

Thalia led them out to the mag strips. "Can we go visit Argon's clinic?" asked Thalia. "Fine, but we'll have to take the Stick," said Holly. "Please, not that again. I'll walk," said Butler. "Ok, Butler. No one wants to see a bulky ballerina dance," said Holly, teasingly. Thalia and Holly hopped on, and Butler walked beside them. Elves scattered left and right, avoiding the two humans. Pixiettes stared at Thalia and started gossiping.

They soon arrived at the clinic, and Thalia walked to the room where the clone was kept. The nurses there avoided Thalia. To them, she was only another psychotic. Thalia reached the clone, and she saw the thing, its eyes open, but not moving. Thalia touched the glass, and sent a spark through it. The clone raised its hand weakly, and its fingers were right behind Thalia's. Holly was right behind Thalia. "What are you doing to Nopal?" she asked. Thalia ignored her. "Tell me, Nopal. Tell me what you saw," said Thalia, in a soft voice. "You can trust me." Thalia closed her eyes, and a memory came slamming into her mind.

"_Mervall, get that creature ready before I go into a coma! I need her to make sure my plan goes smoothly. Soon, that Mud Boy and elf captain will be nothing but history," said Opal. Mervall walked away, and Opal walked closer to the clone. "You will soon be dead. You are nothing but a soulless creature, an empty shell," said Opal, tracing a finger down the clone's jaws. "They will find out, and kill you. You are an unauthorized experiment to them; they don't know that you can feel. You will feel the pain of death as they dispose of you, and I shall be satisfied that I have brought an end to you. It's a waste to make you, but sadly, nothing else is going to work. I cannot have a copy of me breathing in this world. I am unique, and you shall not change that. Good night." Opal slid two fingers down the clone's eyelids, and it became black._

Thalia opened her eyes, and saw that the clone had closed its eyes. "Nopal?" asked Thalia. "What did you do?" asked Holly, a hand on Thalia. Butler was standing at the back of the room, watching them both. "I-she-Nopal has memories, Holly! She can feel, she can remember!" said Thalia. "Opal never wanted to make her; she does not want two copies of herself. But this, this is new. This is not a normal clone. She has a part of Opal's soul."

"Thalia, are you fine? You've been through a lot today," said Holly. "No, Holly! If we can somehow find out how Opal would think, then we can put an end to Opal's plans. We might even be able to stop her from even breaking out! Don't you see? Nopal is our weapon; our advantage over Opal." said Thalia, her eyes clouding over. Holly laid a hand on Thalia's palm. "Thalia, maybe you're going a bit far. Opal also wanted to use her. Don't treat her like a weapon that you can afford to lose. Every living creature deserves to live," said Holly. "Even if they live hardly able to survive outside suspended animation?" asked Thalia. "Even when they are in pain?"

"Thalia. Snap out of it!" said Holly, loudly. Thalia's eyes snapped into focus. "I'm sorry. I went too far. Nopal can help us, and in return, we'll get her walking," she said. Thalia turned to Nopal. "I'll help you. I promise." The clone did not move, but Thalia could have sworn she saw it smile, ever so slightly. Suddenly, Thalia felt a surge of guilt inside her. She was so focused on stopping Opal, that she forgot the value of a life. "I'm sorry," she whispered again. She turned, and saw Holly smiling. "She's happy," she said.

Thalia smiled too. "You saw that too?" asked Thalia. "I did. You were right. Clones do have a soul. I'm only sorry that it's Opal's," she said. Then, a harsh realization came to Thalia's mind. _If she has a part of Opal in her, then we'll have to kill her as well, _she thought. _Otherwise, Opal might come back. _Thalia kept this to herself. If she told Holly this now, she would resist, and their plans would be for naught. _Sometimes, it's better to die than to suffer a long time. I'm sorry it has to end like this._

Holly frowned. "Thalia?" asked Holly. "Wh-what?" asked the girl, breaking from a trance. "What were you thinking?" asked Holly, narrowing her eyes. "Nothing, nothing," said Thalia. Holly nodded, but Thalia knew that Holly would never give up so easily. It was just an act to get her to lower her guard. "Shall we go somewhere else?" asked Thalia. Holly brightened. "Why don't we get a bite?" she asked. "Sounds good to me," replied Thalia, and the two of them walked out, Butler following them like a shadow.

They soon came to Spud's Spud Emporium, and took seats at a nearby table. Butler stood near them, looking at all the fairies. _You never know when an enemy is going to strike, _he thought. "What would you like, pretty captain?" asked a waiter who practically bounced over to them. His eyes were fixed on Holly. "What would you like?" asked Holly, to Thalia, ignorant of the fact that this elf had hundreds of custom made posters of her in his house. "I don't really know; you choose," said Thalia. "Fine, give us a veggie burger, and two strawberry shakes," said Holly. The waiter walked back in great haste, and tripped over another elf's feet. Thalia looked at this and laughed lightly. "Looks like someone's quite keen to impress you," she said.

Holly groaned. "Not another one," she moaned. "Why? Are there other people?" asked Thalia, grinning. "Let's not talk about that," she said, burying her head in her hands. "I thought you only liked Artemis," said Thalia, teasingly, tracing a little heart in the air with her fingers. "No, I don't like Artemis!" replied Holly, too quickly. Butler tried hard not to laugh. This was a touchy subject for them both, and Butler had seen Artemis's reaction firsthand. He had asked Artemis the same thing, and Artemis had gone slightly red, and quickly left the room.

"Really? I was under the impression that Artemis likes you," said Thalia, clearly enjoying Holly's discomfort. "No, he doesn't. Our relationship is purely official," said Holly, desperately trying to get Thalia to give up. But a tiny part of her sat up, asking her to go and wrestle the answer out of Artemis. "Oh, you don't even believe your own words, Holly. A part of you is begging for the answer right now," said Thalia, raising one eyebrow, and smiling, her incisors showing. "No, it's not! Just stop with your genius insight thing!" said Holly.

"So you admit it! Wait till Artemis hears this!" said Thalia, pretending to get up. "Fine. I don't care. He will give you the same reply," said Holly, pretending to not be worried in the slightest. "Like I said before, you don't believe your own words, Holly. I can see it in your face," said Thalia, pointing at her. She turned back and asked Butler, "What do you think, Butler?" Butler pretended to not have heard the question. "Sorry, what were you asking me?" he said. Thalia rolled her eyes. "Come on, you've confronted Artemis already; what was his reaction?" asked Thalia. "He said nothing," said Butler. After all, one did not become a bodyguard by revealing his master's secrets.

"Of course he wouldn't. He has almost no feelings," said Thalia, seeming disappointed by the reply. "Anyway, I'll ask him myself later." Then, the waiter came over with the food, and placed it on the table. "Thank you," said Holly, acidly. The waiter did not notice the venom in her voice, and walked away gleefully. Thalia almost giggled. This was too much fun. She had never gotten a chance to tease someone so relentlessly. She picked up the burger, and took a bite. It was better than she had expected. Apparently, Holly also thought so. "This tastes different," she said. "It's delicious!" said Thalia. "It's never been this good before," said Holly, as she took another bite.

Thalia was about to reply, when her pendant glowed blue. Holly pointed to it. "Why is it glowing?" she asked. Thalia looked down, and quickly got up. "Is there a quiet place nearby?" she asked. "There," pointed Holly, to the strangely unpopulated fountain in the middle of the street. They walked quickly, Holly leaving a few gold pieces on the table, and Thalia tapped her pendant. A screen was projected, and Artemis's face appeared in the screen. "Thalia, come here quickly. There's an emergency," said Artemis, gravely. The color drained from Thalia's face. _Oh no, _she thought. She knew what Artemis was about to say. Holly's face became slightly white. "Don't tell me," she whispered.

Artemis looked Thalia straight in the eye.

"Opal has broken out."

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**P.S. I've reached the 3000 minimum word limit for this chapter, finally. Also, I learnt of a new language called Hindi, spoken by Indians. It was quite weird to hear it spoken out loud, actually. Huh, you learn something new everyday! Anyway, tell me what you thought of this chapter in a review! **

**There are cookies fresh out of the oven for everybody!**

**UPDATE (24-Nov-14):**** Hey guys! WOW! 49 reviews! WHAT? WHAT?! THANK YOU! Thanks to SecretWish for all the reviews! BTW, I have NOT abandoned this story, NO WAY! I'm just having a busy week...new chapter this weekend! **


	15. Opal Breaks Out

**Hello everybody! I'm sorry for not updating last week, I was sick, and kind of lazy (sorry) and yeah. But, I promise not to slack off again (unless I have a test or something). I've been busy, but it's all sorted out now. **

**I'd like to thank all my awesome readers for supporting me and giving me 50 REVIEWS! WOOOHOOO! (shoots party decorations from Pinkie Pie's party cannon) Thank you so much, guys! It means so much to me! *passes fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies to all of you guys in an imaginary gathering with all of us present***

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Thalia's eyes widened. "Opal?" she asked. "More accurately, she _is _breaking out. Come here _now._" said Artemis, and the screen fizzled away. "Hold my hand, both of you," said Thalia. Holly held her right hand, Butler her left. It was a queer sight. Then, blue sparks surrounded them, and they once again fell through space-time.

They flickered into Foaly's lab, and Foaly whinnied. "Give a warning next time," he said. Butler was slightly unsteady on his feet, but he quickly regained his balance. Holly, however, was not so lucky. She stumbled into Artemis, who also lost his balance, and fell down. "Sorry," said Holly, and quickly got up, and found a seat to sit on. Artemis walked over to Thalia, and together they saw the scene unfold on the screen.

Opal was meditating, but there was a black aura surrounding her. Thalia squinted, and saw that a light red barrier was keeping the black magic at bay. "No1 is holding the magic back," Thalia realized. "He's delaying the escape." "Where's Trouble?" asked Holly. "He's gone to mobilize the force. Holly, you need to stay here; we need your help," said Artemis. "Artemis, we have to delay this somehow. How fast can we get to Atlantis?" asked Thalia. Artemis looked at her in surprise. "You don't mean to..." he asked. "Yes. I do." said Thalia. "No1 needs help. Get Qwan as well," said Thalia.

Foaly looked over from his desk. "Qwan is already there. He just arrived a few minutes ago," informed Foaly. "Good. Holly? We need to go to Atlantis now," said Thalia. Holly nodded. "On it. But, can't you just transport us there?" she asked. "Well, I've only started using magic; I'll need more experience," said Thalia, rather sheepishly. Holly rolled her eyes, but she ran out the booth. "Come on, Artemis. You too, Butler. It is imperative that we reach there as fast as possible," said Thalia, stepping out of the Ops Booth.

_She is truly a leader, _thought Artemis. _This is not the Thalia I had befriended years ago; she is stronger now. _As he looked at her, he thought about how much she would have had to go through to lose this part of her earlier. _I cannot relate well enough, _he thought. They quickly reached, and Holly was waiting there for them.

"Ok, let's go in; we're leaving right away," said Holly. All of them raced through the strangely uncrowded port, and got into the shuttle. "Wait, is this even a shuttle?" asked Thalia, looking at the custom made ship. Holly smiled proudly. "This bird is our sweet new ride. What do you think?" she asked. "Amazing," said Butler, as he climbed in. "It's actually big enough for me." Holly laughed, and got behind the wheel. As the settings glowed green, Holly smiled. This was her turf, and no one could mess with her, not even Opal. She sat back as the automated rail guided them down the trail, and as the shuttle fell down, her hands immediately took over. Holly grinned. "Let's shred some water."

Thalia walked over to the fridge. "This is one awesome shuttle," she said, as she got some fruit. "Want an apple?" she asked, showing one to Artemis. He shook his head, and walked over. "I'm intrigued by your power, Thalia," he said. "Thanks," she replied, as they sat down. "Tell me, what can you do? I mean, is anything stopping you from reversing the arrow of time?" he asked, eyes gleaming at the possibilities. Thalia laughed. "I don't think that possible," she said. "I can do small things, like, for example, changing the color of your hair," she said, and clicked her fingers. Artemis's hair turned blue, and he looked at Thalia, not one bit amused. "Not that it suits you," she said hastily, and changed it back.

"I can even completely change what I look like," she said, and suddenly, Thalia's hair turned blonde, and it grew long, and straight. Her face became paler, and her eyes turned startling, light purple. "How's this?" she asked, smiling. Artemis stood up, musing. "Why purple eyes?" he asked, looking straight into them. Thalia shrugged. "I like this color," she said. She sat back down, and continued eating her apple.

Artemis sat down too, but he felt a little unsettled. _If Thalia can change like this, then what will we do if she switches allegiance? _he thought. _No, she won't, _said a voice inside his head. _This is her fight; she will never turn traitor. _Artemis was almost shocked at how easily he could doubt Thalia. _What does this say about me? _he thought, silently. Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Artemis?" she asked, waving her hand. "Yes?" he asked, snapping out of his trance. "Why were you staring at me like that?" she asked. "What? I wasn't staring at you," said Artemis. "You were frowning. What were you thinking?" she asked, cautiously. "Nothing that concerns you," he said.

Thalia looked a little upset. "You know, Artemis, you can trust me. I know you doubt my loyalty, but please remember that this is my fight. I will never join that pixie. Never," she said. Artemis smiled. "I know I can rely on you. I cannot help but doubt everyone. You might be able to relate," he said, cocking his head to one side, and looking at her. Thalia hated it when he did that; it felt like he was glaring into her soul. "I can," she said, and changed back to her normal self, but her eyes remained light purple.

"That's much better, don't you think?" asked Thalia. "Appearances do not matter, Thalia, as long as your mind is intact," said Artemis. Thalia smiled, but then, a cold feeling crept up her spine, and she shifted uncomfortably. Then, without any warning, pain struck her entire body, like white hot knives being thrust into her. She fell down, and her vision turned black. The last thing she saw was Artemis coming to her side, calling her name.

Thalia looked around, and found that she was inside Opal's cell, and Opal was not meditating, but standing right in front of her. "Stay away!" shouted Thalia, and shot a bolt of magic into Opal. Opal just waved her hand, and the bolt turned black, and hit Thalia instead. It was like being electrocuted and stabbed at the same time. Thalia was on her knees, and she was shivering with pain, refusing to scream and give Opal the smallest bit of satisfaction. "Trying to hold it in?" asked Opal, her expression vicious, her eyes now red. She shot another bolt at Thalia, and she was thrown backwards. The pain became raw, and grew stronger. "Agh, you w-won't- you cannot break me-ugh," said Thalia, her entire body feeling like it was on fire.

"Don't try to resist!" shouted Opal. "I've been waiting for days! I will see you in sorrow, Thalia, I swear it!" "This…is not real," Thalia managed to say through the blinding pain. "You are not real." "Soon, I will escape, and I will get my revenge," screeched Opal. "You cannot hold me back for long, I will escape!" The louder Opal screeched, the more the pain intensified. _I feel like I'm dying, _thought Thalia. _I just want to die, to escape this pain. _Then, Thalia tried to get up. She would not give up to Opal, even if this was not real. "I will defeat you, Opal. Even if it costs me my life," grunted Thalia. Opal screamed, and the vision faded.

"Thalia? Thalia!" said a voice. It seemed distant, as if it was from another world. Thalia woke up, and was welcomed with another bout of pain. "Aaaagh!" she yelled. Artemis and Holly stepped back, and looked at her with pity in their eyes. Thalia could not tell up from down or left from right, but visions flashed in front of her eyes. They were terrible; she saw Opal killing Artemis, her parents being killed by ruthless pixies, and she felt herself weakening from inside. "Aaah! Aaah!" screamed Thalia, and every scream made the pain worse. She could hardly keep her sanity, and she could not even see in front of her.

She faintly felt a hand on her head, and a wave of relief spread from it. The pain seemed to fight against it, but the waves kept coming. The pain slowly went, and Thalia's vision cleared. Her breath still came in short gasps, and her entire body was shivering. "Thalia?" asked a voice that Thalia identified as Holly's. "What happened?" Thalia took some time to slow down her breath, and slowly sat up. "I-I don't know," she gasped. "Opal-something to do with her." "It's gone, now," said another voice. Thalia turned, and saw a tall grey demon. "Qwan?" guessed Thalia. "Yes, I am Qwan. But what happened to you?" he asked.

Thalia looked down. NO1 had warned her about this; he had told her to expect this, but she never thought it would happen for real. "Can I talk to you alone?" asked Qwan. Thalia nodded weakly, and looked at her friends. Artemis nodded, and gestured to Butler and Holly. Holly looked at her, and Thalia saw tears in her eyes. "I'll be fine," she assured Holly. Holly nodded, and she left the room.

"Now, tell me, child. How did this happen?" asked Qwan. "I don't know how, but it's just been in me, ever since I met her," said Thalia. Qwan looked at her with pity in his eyes. "You do realize that you won't-" said Qwan, but Thalia cut him. "I know," she said. "But they don't." Thalia looked at the closed door with sorrow in her eyes. "I wish I could help, but this-this is beyond my power," said Qwan. "I can help ease the pain, but I'm afraid I cannot do more." Thalia looked down, tears forming in her eyes. "I-I just-I'm afraid, I'm afraid of the end," said Thalia. "I felt its presence in you the very moment I touched you," said Qwan. "It's alright to be scared, child." Thalia could not stop the tears leaking out, and her shoulders shook. Qwan shook his head. _Fate can be cruel, _he thought. After a few moments, she stopped sobbing, and wiped her face. "I'm going to stop Opal, regardless of any obstacles I might face," said Thalia. Qwan looked up. "You are strong, human, I'll give you that. I hope you succeed," he said.

"Can I go out?" asked Thalia. Qwan nodded. Thalia walked over to the door, and then turned back. "Please, don't tell them," she asked. "I won't," promised Qwan. Thalia walked out, and Holly immediately appeared by her side. "What happened, Thalia? You were screaming, all the time. I could not bear it; but somehow, we got to Atlantis," said Holly, with worry in her voice. "What is it, Thalia?" Thalia smiled weakly. "It's nothing," she said. "Nothing? Thalia, you were as cold as ice, and your eyes were glazed over! You were completely white!" shouted Holly. "And all the time, your screams, there was raw pain in them!" "Forget it, Holly. Please," said Thalia, firmly. Holly shook her head, and stood aside.

Thalia looked at Artemis, and his eyes were filled with concern. "Thalia? Can I talk to you?" he asked. "No, Artemis. It's nothing," said Thalia. "Thalia. I want to talk with you," he insisted, and nodded to Butler. Butler picked up Holly, and took her away. Holly struggled, but she could not break free. "Thalia, don't try to hide it from me. No1 told me about it," said Artemis. "I don't know what you mean," said Thalia, refusing to tell Artemis. "Thalia, drop the act. No1 told me about the vision you had in the 13th dimension, and what it meant. Do you have to keep using your magic?" he asked. Thalia sighed internally; No1 had only told Artemis half the story. He thought that her magic was causing this; he did not know the truth. "Your magic brings this along, doesn't it?" asked Artemis, once more. "It's a curse," said Thalia, going along with the lie. "Power like this comes with a price." "I see," said Artemis, nodding. Thalia felt terrible about lying to Artemis, but he could not afford to find out the truth now.

"Are you still going to hold Opal's magic at bay?" asked Artemis. "Yes. For the greater good," said Thalia. "Can we go to the Deeps?" Artemis nodded. They went back to Butler and Holly, and Holly seemed tired. "We're going to the Deeps," announced Thalia. Holly looked up. "We aren't. Not with you like this," said Holly. "We are leaving now, Captain," said Artemis. Holly noticed that Artemis called her by her rank, and not by name. She knew it was serious, and reluctantly got up. "Fine. Follow me," she said, and led them to a long tunnel. "No magic inside," warned Holly. "It's filled with flammable gas." "You mean no sparks, right?" said Thalia. Holly nodded.

They crossed the tunnel, and reached a docking port. There were underwater shuttles there and Holly walked up, and flashed her badge. The officials quickly let them through, and soon, they were in a shuttle, plunging into the depths of the ocean. It was a short trip, and they did not talk much. "We're here," said Holly, as she docked the shuttle against the glass wall. They passed through two airlocks, and entered the prison facility. Thalia could not see any of the prisoners, as the entire cell was solid metal. "How do you give them food?" asked Thalia. "The doors are phase shifting," explained Holly. "Solid to gas, and back again." "I see," said Thalia. "Ingenious technology." "It's all Foaly's design," said Holly.

They walked past, stopping many times to clear security. They finally got to Opal's chamber. No1 was outside, and for the first time, he looked exhausted. He saw the group enter, and he perked up. "A little help," said No1. Thalia nodded, and extracted a vial from her pocket. "From Qwan," she said, and passed it to the little demon. He smiled, and drank its contents. The red runes on his body glowed, and spun. "What is it?" asked Artemis. "Coffee," said Thalia, grinning. "Now, I'll join in as well." "Holly? Would you lend me your magic?" asked Thalia. Holly smiled, and nodded. She cocked her head to one side, and blue magic swirled in an inverted cone. It was sucked into Thalia, and she sighed, letting it flow through her. "Thank you," she said. "I hope you have enough to heal." "I do. Go ahead," said Holly. Thalia nodded.

Thalia closed her eyes, and blue sparks swirled up Thalia's body. She floated slightly off the floor, and she extended her hands. Artemis looked at the display from inside the cell. The black aura around Opal was fading, and it was replaced with a purple aura. Artemis recognized the color immediately. _That's the same color as her eyes, _thought Artemis. As he watched, the aura grew fainter and fainter, till he could hardly see it anymore. Then, he saw Opal clutch her fists, and the black aura grew darker, fighting off the purple magic. Artemis looked back at Thalia, and her face was scrunched in concentration. He whipped back to the display, and saw the dark magic swirling around Opal, growing more intense.

"Thalia..." he started, and at that moment, the purple magic flickered and died. Thalia was on the floor again, and her blue sparks flickered away. "Wh-what?" she asked, looking at her hands. The black magic turned blood red, and a multi-layered voice emanated from the cell. "You will never hold me back forever, Thalia White. Your time has come. I will have my revenge," said Opal, her body surrounded by dark magic. It was sucked into her, and she rose higher. She concentrated the magic in her hands, and aimed it at the ceiling of the cell. "Artemis Fowl, Holly Short, and Thalia White. You will pay for your deeds," she said, and released a wave of black magic.

Artemis looked at Thalia and Holly, but it was too late. The wave swept over them, and Artemis saw his vision swimming. "Holly, Thalia, Butler," he croaked, before he hit the ground like everyone else, unconscious.

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**So, what did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? Review, please! Help me improve my writing! There are more cookies, of all the flavors of the world! Want some? (that's code for 'please review, please, with a cherry on top?') BTW, I'm a fan of MLP! Go Twilight Sparkle! (Check out Hank Green's song, 'I Don't Have A Favorite Pony'!)**

**Thank you all!**

**Author1720**


	16. Magical Lockdown

**Hello, everybody! Here's Chapter 16! I guess this is where everything slowly starts coming together, and the ending is just over the horizon. I don't know if I've done a good job with this, so your constructive criticism is much appreciated! **

**Thanks to Cookie35, for your encouragement and criticism (well, it was softer than that, but thanks!). **

**Hope you like it!**

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Artemis felt something on his shoulder. He stirred, and suddenly, it felt like something was sucked out of him. His eyes opened, and he jolted awake. Thalia was by Butler's side, and she kept her hand on his arm, and murmured something. Then, a black mist was sucked out of him, and he awoke, as well. "Artemis?" said Butler, immediately. "I'm fine," said Artemis, from the side. "Oh, you're awake," said Thalia, bending over Holly. "About time." "How long were we unconscious?" asked Artemis, afraid to know the answer. It could have been mere minutes, or hours, or even days. "Not long, luckily. About 2 hours," said Thalia, still bent over Holly. "No1? Can you help me out with her?" asked Thalia, with a hint of worry in her voice.

No1 came over, and stood on the opposite side. They both kept their hands on Holly's shoulders, and murmured something inaudible. Holly floated slightly off the floor, and when Artemis caught a glimpse of her, he gasped. Holly's auburn hair and coffee skin were now a sickly black shade. "Oh no, oh no," whispered Thalia. "It's all my fault." No1's lip wobbled. "Let's take her to Qwan," he said, and picked up Holly's feet. Thalia looked back at them, and her eyes were filled with tears. "Just come with us," she said, holding back her tears. Artemis quickly walked up to her, and he realized just how grave the situation was. Opal had violently released a wave of black magic, and it seemed like it wasn't leaving Holly's systems. It could prove to be fatal, and could cause death. Artemis could not imagine such a thing; after all they had survived, it seemed impossible that she should fall to such a thing.

Butler offered to carry Holly, and together, they hurried back to the hospital. Thalia flung open the door, only to see Qwan getting off the floor. "Qwan!" exclaimed No1, as he ran to his mentor's side. Qwan waved him away, and he got up, black mist floating away from him. The mist came towards Thalia, and she sighed. It got sucked into her, and her skin turned a shade darker. Artemis looked into her eyes and noticed that the neon shade of purple had become a dark, dull purple. "I'm so sorry, dear," said Qwan, and raised his arms. The black magic vented out of Thalia's pores and floated over to Qwan. Thalia turned a few shades lighter. "Thank you," she said. "But, you have to help her." Butler gently laid Holly down on a bed, and Qwan walked over to her. "This is serious. I want everyone to leave the room, except No1 and the girl," said No1. "I think I should stay," said Artemis, looking at all of them, silently challenging them to say otherwise.

"You won't be able to handle the dark magic, Artemis," said Thalia, looking at him with her startling purple eyes. "It's best that you leave. I know Holly means a lot to you; she means a lot to me as well. She'll be fine. I promise." Artemis looked away reluctantly, and he felt Butler's palm on his shoulder. Then, they both walked out of the room together.

Qwan turned to Thalia. "How is she affected so much?" he asked. "Isn't she an elf?" "She is, but-but she gave most of her magic to me-to hold off Opal for some time," said Thalia, softly. Qwan looked at her with a slightly reprimanding gaze. "An unwise decision," he said. Then, his expression softened. "Then again, if you hadn't, you would be the one in this situation." "Can we cure her?" asked No1, concerned for his elfin friend. "We can, if we work quickly," replied the tall demon.

They kept their hands on Holly, and Thalia let her mind merge with the other warlocks. "Now, think _heal. _Just express your wish to _heal _her. Give her every spark." said Qwan in their minds. Thalia pushed out her magic, all the time thinking one word in her head, over and over. _Heal, _thought Thalia, as hard as she could. _Please, heal my friend. _Holly was floating clear off the bed, and her eyes were forced open. Dark magic was flushed out of her pores, and soon the entire room was pitch black. It all was sucked into Thalia, and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened, and she rose, revolving in the air. Her eyes opened, and they were pure black. She was paralyzed, that one expression frozen on her face. Qwan immediately forced all the dark magic to come into him, and Thalia fell to the floor.

"Thalia?" asked Holly, feebly. "Holly? You're awake?" asked Thalia, getting up. "Oh, I'm so glad you're awake!" Thalia went to her friend, and hugged her. Holly smiled, and hugged her back. "No1, come here!" said Holly, and the little demon walked over, and was dragged into the hug. "Holly, I thought I lost you!" exclaimed the demon. "I don't give up easily," grinned Holly. "Where are the others?" "They're outside," said Thalia, and walked out to get them. Artemis walked in, and smiled to see Holly better. Butler's face broke into a grin. "You were worried about me?" asked Holly, with a teasing look in her eyes, but secretly, she was glad to see that Artemis was worried about her. "I was. You are my friend, Holly," said Artemis. "Now, what about Opal?" asked Holly.

Thalia looked down. "She's escaped. I can track her down, but I need to fill up on magic first," she said. "I have to fill up as well," said No1. Qwan nodded. "Luckily, today is a full moon. Can we do the Ritual now?" The two warlocks nodded. Holly got off the bed, and stood aside. Butler took a few steps back, but Artemis was rooted to the spot. Thalia, Qwan and No1 stood at three corners, and opened their palms. "Thalia, if you will," said Qwan, and Thalia opened her mouth and sang. It was a melody full of mixed emotions, but it was mainly sadness. A red pentagon formed around them, with them at three corners. After she stopped, a ball of purest white emerged from the red pentagon, and spilt into three. Artemis could not take his eyes off the sight. "Artemis, look away!" yelled Thalia, but it was too late. One of the balls split once again and shot towards Artemis. It was absorbed into him, and he was thrown back.

The other balls flit into the three warlocks, and the red pentagon flickered and died. Thalia ran over to Artemis, and sat next to him. Artemis sat up, and his hands were tingling. He looked at them, and red sparks were jumping at his fingertips. "Artemis," said Thalia, uncertainly. "Why is it red?" asked Artemis, almost to himself. "It is not your magic. Therefore, it takes the color of the owner, which is, clearly, No1," said Qwan, as he walked over. "There is nothing that can be done. Now, you are magical as well." Thalia looked slightly angry, and turned away.

"Now, we have to formulate a new plan," said Thalia, somewhat lamely. "But first, doesn't anyone think that if we were affected, all the civilians would be affected too?" Artemis nodded. "This has crossed my mind as well. What can we do?" he stated. "Well, we have to suck all the magic out of them," said Thalia. "Is it necessary for someone to contain all the magic?" he asked. "Yes, it is. It is a punishment for summoning such evil magic," said No1, smiling ruefully. "But, as you can see, sometimes, the punishment is borne by the ones who do not deserve of it." Thalia chuckled, and muttered something about '_fate is cruel'. _

Artemis noted what Thalia said, but he continued as though he never heard it. "Our priority now is to track Opal. Holly, can we get a line to Foaly?" asked Artemis. Holly nodded, and tapped her wi-tech earring. This opened a line to Foaly. Holly had a video watch, and she pressed the project button, and a large screen swathed the wall. They all waited for Foaly to pick up. Soon, the centaur's face appeared. "Holly! You're okay!" exclaimed Foaly. "If I lost you, I don't know what I would have done." Holly laughed. "It's alright, Foaly. Now, I expect you are already tracking Opal," asked Holly. Foaly's expression turned grim. "We've been tracking her, and she's headed for Thalia's flat in Manhattan," said Foaly.

"I knew it. Now, she's going to wait it out there," said Thalia, pacing. "Oh no, on the contrary, she is going to be very active," said Artemis. Foaly squinted. "What are you thinking, Arty?" he asked. "Well, I hardly think that Opal needs to gather anymore magic. She's going to help her henchmen escape from prison. Or, worst case scenario, she's planning on a direct attack to the LEP. We're not expecting it, therefore, this is the best time to attack." explained Artemis. Foaly paled slightly. "Trouble's already secured all chutes in North America, Ireland, and South America. He's also called an emergency alert of the highest priority. No civilians allowed outside. We're even prepared for Armageddon. But knowing Opal, she's already expecting all of this," said Foaly.

"Exactly. This is why we need full time surveillance on Opal," said Artemis. "I wish it were that easy, but Opal's made sure that we cannot see what she's up to," replied Foaly. "Fine, we'll talk later," said Holly, and cut the call. Qwan looked serious. "Do you need our assistance? We'll be more than happy to help," said the demon. No1 nodded. "Your help will be greatly appreciated. But first, we have the citizens of Atlantis to attend to," said Artemis. Butler spoke for the first time after their conversation. "Artemis, don't you think everything's too easy?" he asked. "I'll admit; it does. But what else can we do? We cannot afford a head-on confrontation," said Artemis. Butler still looked unsure. Thalia broke the silence. "Atlantis needs our help," she reminded. "We'll have to cast a large scale spell," declared No1. "Everybody, hold hands." They obliged, and No1 spoke. "Now, concentrate all your power in the palms of your hands, and think of only one thing. _Heal,_" said No1, and closed his eyes. They all did the same, and blue magic started gathering at Thalia's hands, red at No1's and Artemis's. Holly looked at her hands, and saw amber magic. _I should not come in contact with any more of that black magic, _she thought. _I'm older, now. _She turned her attention to the spell, and she realized that she could feel what the others were thinking.

Artemis was concentrating by remembering old memories, while No1 was simply thinking about helping people. _Typical of him, _she thought. Then, she tried to see what Thalia was thinking, but her probe was repelled. Holly tried again, but the push was stronger, and she decided to let it be. She thought about what her mother had said. _Destruction cannot be my legacy, _she had said. _I joined the LEP to help my people, _thought Holly. _And help them I shall. _She concentrated on all the black magic draining away from the people, and she felt a spark go through her. Then, Holly opened her eyes to see a revolving ball of dark magic in front of her. The magic spell was finished, and the ball levitated in the air.

"Who is going to house all of this magic?" asked Thalia. "We'll all have to divide it," said Qwan. The ball drew closer to Thalia, and she shot it away with a burst of blue sparks. "Why is the magic seeking me out?" she asked, annoyed. "It seems like Opal wanted her magic to attack you, and it is simply doing as wished," said Qwan. "Let's divide it right away." They all let a little bit of the magic come into them, and they all turned a few shades darker. Thalia looked at Artemis, and his cold eyes now looked a dark blue-grey shade. "Your eyes," said Thalia. Artemis smiled. "What about yours?" he asked. "They're a dull purple." "So much for my neon eyes," she joked, halfheartedly. Artemis did not laugh, but he looked at Thalia with a mixture of amusement and pity in his eyes. "A shame," he said, with half a smile. "They were rather bewitching." "Bewitching?" asked Thalia, questioning his use of adjectives. "What do you mean?" "And now, where were we? Yes. We have to track Opal," said Artemis, changing the subject. Thalia sighed, but she made a mental note to ask Artemis about this later. "I have a very important piece of information for you," said Thalia. Everyone turned their attention to her.

"I had shared a memory with Opal's clone earlier, and I found something surprising. That clone contains a part of Opal's soul. If Opal has to be destroyed, then, we will have to destroy her as well. Opal is not aware of this fact. A part of her soul can only be destroyed by her. We need to trick her into doing so. And, we have our bait," said Thalia. "Nopal?" asked Holly. "Yes, Nopal," confirmed Thalia. Holly looked like she was wrestling with her emotions. "Sometimes, Holly, you have to make a sacrifice," she said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "For the greater good."

Holly looked up. "I know," she said. "And now, I want to talk to Qwan and Artemis, alone," said Thalia. Butler understood, and left the room with Holly in tow. No1 nodded at her as he left, like he approved of what she was about to do. "What is it, Thalia?" asked Artemis. "Listen, you have to accept what I am going to say. No hesitation, no stopping me. Understand?" she asked. Artemis nodded reluctantly. Thalia told them her plan, and Artemis was taken aback. "Thalia, I implore you to search for another way," he said. "Don't you see? There is no other way!" exclaimed Thalia, almost at tears. "That's why I have such a close connection to Opal! Qwan already knows this, No1 found it out the day he checked my level of magic. I hid it from you, but you have to help me."

Artemis was wrenched between going with the plan, and stopping Thalia from executing it. "What can I do?" he asked, finally. "I need you to help me practice. That's all," said Thalia. "Teleportation, shielding, and _the mesmer_. I need to learn it all." Qwan nodded. "We'll get started right away. Try teleporting Artemis to the other side of the room," he said. "Right away? I don't know how!" said Thalia. "Magic is all about doing something you _want _to happen. A warlock's power is not gauged by the level of magic, but by the capacity of the warlock. Your capacity to extend your will over your magic is what magic is all about." Thalia nodded, and looked straight at Artemis. Artemis felt a tingling sensation all over him, and he flickered a few times, but he stayed where he was. Thalia stopped, panting, covered in a thin, cold sweat. Qwan patted her. "A good attempt. Don't do more today; you've already done so much, and the dark magic in you will only grow stronger the more you exert yourself," he said.

"Fine," said Thalia, panting, and sat down on a bed. Qwan walked out, and Thalia was left with Artemis. Artemis sat next to her, and there was an awkward silence. "Thalia, you don't have to-" started Artemis, but Thalia put a finger to her lips, telling him to be silent. Artemis obliged, showing the strength of their friendship. He would normally never oblige like that, but they knew each other well enough to do so. "I don't want to either," she admitted. "I'm scared, Artemis. I'm scared for the end." Artemis felt pity for her. "It's fine to feel afraid, but you should not let it show," he said. "I didn't earlier, and look where that got me. I went crazy," she said, twirling a finger over her temple. "I won't pretend; I haven't the slightest idea what to do," he confided. Thalia chuckled. "Genii never know how to feel," she said. "Funny how we're so great at everything except our feelings." Artemis smiled. "I will agree to that," he said.

Thalia looked thoughtful. "Artemis, don't you think all this dark magic will affect the Earth as well?" she asked. "I expect it will," he said, and then it struck him. "If it has, then…" he said. Thalia sprung up, standing. "Then whoever's doing the Ritual will contract Spelltropy!" she said. "That's the last thing we need, what with Opal on the loose." Artemis shook his head. "She's planned all of this. She's made sure that we can't use magic against her. We have only one person who can do so, without any risk of Spelltropy," he said, turning to Thalia. "You. You are the last hope for the People." Thalia suddenly felt like she was Atlas, bearing the weight of the heavens on her shoulders all alone.

"I know." she said. "We have to tell Holly about our theory," she continued, and sprinted out of the room. Artemis followed her out. "Holly, I need a line to Foaly now," said Thalia, firmly. Holly nodded, and tapped her earring again. She passed her watch to Thalia, and she ducked behind a wall. "Foaly, we need to put the city on magical lockdown," said Thalia, as soon as his face appeared on the little screen. "Are you crazy? We need all the magic we can get," said Foaly. Thalia explained the situation to Foaly, and the centaur opened a line to the commander after she was done. He relayed the story to him, and Trouble's face turned a beetroot red, just like his predecessor. "I can't argue with your logic, human," he said. "Is there no other way?" asked the commander to Foaly. "Not that I can think of," admitted Foaly. "Fine. We'll do it," said Trouble. "I just hope that we don't have any casualties." he said, more to himself than to them.

"I hope so too, Commander, I hope so," said Thalia, her mind already picturing the horrible possibilities of this action. "I hope we're not playing straight into Opal's hands."

Miles away, Opal laughed at Thalia's words. "Oh, you pathetic human, you're doing exactly what I want you to do," she said, and let out a sinister laugh that echoed through Thalia's old apartment.

* * *

**Please review! Cookies await you! Here are a few quotes:  
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